It's 'Now' or Never

[HKHaugan]

Principles 7
It’s ‘Now’ or Never

In the movie “Gone With the Wind” besides Rhett Butler’s “Frankly my dear,…” line, the most quoted is Scarlett O’Hara’s, “I’ll think about that tomorrow” which defined her role as the queen of obstinate procrastination. For her ‘now’ was the practice of believing she could take charge and control her destiny regardless of circumstance and, with a good night’s sleep, she would have the answer later. In the course of the movie she inherited what that belief produces, final bitter aloneness and the echo of Rhett’s departing verbal coup de grace. Of course this leads to asking ‘What am I doing with my ‘now?’

There is a difference between the real ‘now’ and the false ‘now,’ the eternal and the temporary, the seen and the unseen, real gold and fool’s gold, reality and pretense, God’s wisdom and common sense. The real ‘now’ emphasizes reacting in every next moment with a consciousness of pleasing Jesus while the false ‘now’ is the momentary personal reaction to please the self, to get what you can while you can, which also may be extended into a pre-meditated plan to exploit the weaknesses of others along the way.

The false ‘now’ is the spirit of the anti-Christ at work. It is the planting of the ego above God, personal gratification above the character of Jesus, of setting belief in self above belief in God, of personal passions above personal sacrifice, justifying personal immorality while denying Jesus’ moral calling. Here’s the lyrics of a country song that describes the false ‘now’ to ‘a T,’
“Take the ribbon from your hair,
Shake it loose and let it fall,
Layin' soft upon my skin.
Like the shadows on the wall.

Come and lay down by my side
'till the early morning light
All I'm takin' is your time.
Help me make it through the night.

I don't care what's right or wrong,
I don't try to understand.
Let the devil take tomorrow.
Lord, tonight I need a friend.

Jesus was and is the real ‘now.’ Scripture shows He was always conscious of doing His Father’s will. His personality rings with eternity. His words touch the heart in every generation. His is a living example of truth for the mind, balance for the heart and confidence for the spirit. His every thought, teaching, miracle and activity was done to please and be a picture of His Father and our real Father, our ‘now’ Father which is the way we are recovered from abnormality to normality of the real ‘now’. This is why the Father said we must be directed by Jesus (Mt.17:5).

Jesus is the ‘now’ defining true human attitude, behavior and character. When Jesus came to earth He brought the ‘now’ of God. Of what does the ‘now’ consist? The answer is really elementary---the Kingdom of God which is God Himself in all His personal, relational and spiritual dimensions.

How does ‘now’ work? Again, elementary---belief, trust and faith. When God the Son came in the flesh He believed the Father and His Word as His guide for His mind. He trusted the will of His Father and obeyed it in His heart. His character from infancy was built through faith in His Spirit because His Spirit was God the Holy Spirit. The Father is a ‘now’ Father. The Son is a ‘now’ Son and the Holy Spirit is a ‘now’ Spirit.

In total contrast the devil, the prince of the false ‘now’, lives only for his own gratification not God’s. That’s what makes him the devil. The devil is the icon of self-centeredness, a fallen spirit being without conscience, a silent instigator pushing the buttons of temptation in our mind, sending his spirits to agitate our heart and confuse our spirit. He wants us trapped in his ‘now’. Anxiety, fear, instant gratification, ‘what if’s,’ playing it safe, self-denial, avoidance, “I want it all and I want it ‘now’.” The false ‘now’ produces the list in Col.3:5-11 that guarantees the finality of death. Death is the culprit in the pit of our fear. Death is the result of trying to live without God. Death is sin on steroids. Sin and death combined define the spiritual disease infecting the universe.

The devil is always attempting to inflict self-doubt, tempting you to take momentary control of every situation, be your own moral guide and do all he can to make you think you are your own god, that you are the “master of your fate and the captain of your soul.” There is no end to his subtle strategies to accomplish this. No human being is his match. Only the Holy Spirit can expose him and defeat his plan for each of us. The closer we are to Jesus the more exposed the devil is.

Our bond in Jesus is the stronghold sealed by the Holy Spirit informing our mind, moving our heart and giving our spirit discernment in the real ’now’. The proof of Jesus’ ‘now’ is the Cross on which he exposed and defeated the devil’s false ‘now’. In His Resurrection He proved His eternal attitude and character defined the real ’now’, true humanity returned to the Father and that lining up with Him was how the world could be reconciled to our Heavenly Father.