At that time Jesus came from the town of Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River. Immediately, as Jesus was coming up out of the water, He saw heaven open. The Holy Spirit came down on Him like a dove, and a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with you.” Then the Spirit sent Jesus into the desert. He was in the desert forty days and was tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels came and took care of Him. (Mark 1:9-13)

Ponder It.
When has your schedule been interrupted in a beneficial way?
When has your schedule been interrupted in an annoying way?
Do you usually tend to enjoy the moment in which you are, look forward to future moments, or reflect on past moments?

Receive It. In order to fully grow in the scope of God’s purpose, we must embrace what He has planned for us moment by moment. God doesn’t change, and His will doesn’t change, but the specifics of our lives change. Faith requires constant and ongoing obedience. We can’t assume God will ask us to do what makes sense. Of course, every instruction He gives us will be consistent with His will, but it won’t always be consistent with our personal experiences or preferences.

After Jesus was baptized, He was sent into the desert and tempted by Satan for 40 days. Are peaks and valleys always so close? Sometimes. Other times, the transitions between highs and lows are so gradual we might move from a valley to a mountaintop or vice versa with little notice. What’s consistent isn’t where we find ourselves but that we find and trust God no matter where we are. He knows what we need to prepare for “here” and how our now equips us for “next.” We can’t predict where we’ll be and why, but we can be certain we’ll be required to seek, listen to, and respond in obedience to God is every moment of our lives. When we live in and fully embrace the moments God has for us, we can receive the blessings He purposes for us – through our highs and lows.

Live It. Place a couple dozen coins in your pocket in the morning. Each time you experience God’s presence through your day, move one coin to another pocket. See how many coins you have in the second pocket by the end of the day. You can also take the same approach with paper clips on your appointment book or by using a basic text note on your phone.