In what grammatical tense are you living for Jesus? Are you living in the past, present or future or are you active in all three?
Your answer to this question will tell me about your walk with Jesus. Every person has the opportunity to determine how to live the Christian life: in the past tense, present tense, or future tense.
If you’re living in the past tense, you are dominated by the thoughts, actions, failures, successes and decisions of the past. But with no successful present activity. The parable of the fig tree in Luke 13 addresses this issue of intent but no fruit.
If you are living in the present tense, you are working and living in the here and now. The past and future affect you yes, both good and bad, but they should not control you. Jesus wants you to forget but learn from the past, to trust him for the future, and to be available to Him today.
If you are living in the future tense, you know what you should be doing now for the Lord, but you have found ways to put it off till later. The later seldom comes.
The Bible teaches that it is not a question of past, present or future, but rather the necessity and benefit of living in all three tenses at the same time. This is done when we abide in Christ as explained in the gospel of John chapter15.
We must learn from the past, execute in the present, and with God’s help plan for the future.
If you do this, you will enjoy the fruit of John 15: fruit, more fruit, much fruit.