Live for Today

04 Feb Live for Today

Read Psalm 118:24-29 and Philippians 3:12-21
Thought for the Day: I will look for what God has for me today.

When I was growing up, the only NFL team that mattered was the Minnesota Vikings. What young boy in North Dakota didn’t want to be part of the Purple People Eaters (Alan Page, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall, and Gary Larsen). However, my favorite player wasn’t on the defensive line. Instead, he was their kicker, Fred Cox. Even to this day, I love watching a guy trot out on the field, line up for the kick, and nail the game-winning field goal.

At the time of his retirement, Cox was the second all-time scorer in the NFL. When he retired, the famous kicker became a chiropractor. It may be hard for us to believe today, but in his first year as a chiropractor, Cox made twice as much as he did when he played in the NFL. However, he had one more thing that he did. Cox also invented the Nerf Football. He saw it as a way that young kids could practice kicking in their backyards. At the same time, as he put it, it would prevent having “a bunch of sore legged kids”.

We must always remember that when we get through one part of our life God has something else for us. Fred Cox could have retired and felt his best days were behind him. Instead, he continued to look forward asking what new opportunity and challenge he could face. When the Apostle Paul was in prison, he could have given up. Instead, he wrote to his friends in the church at Philippi and said, “I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead”.

Today, God has something for each of us. We may be tempted to get mired in thoughts about our past. We certainly have much to learn from our past, and the lessons we have learned can help us do better today. However, we must never forget that “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

In Christ,
Pastor Stan (and David)