Although our future in heaven is secure in God, we still need to make plans for our lives on this earth. God wants us to be proactive in life and not be idle. One of the problems that the church in Thessalonica during the time of the apostle Paul was facing was that some of them were not working because they claimed that since Jesus would come at any moment, they did not have to do anything. So Paul was encouraging them not to become idle but keep on doing good until the second coming of the Lord Jesus.
Being proactive in life means taking actions to make changes in our lives to improve ourselves instead of waiting or sitting around. We have a better chance of having a better future if we are preparing for it. If we are a student, we need to study hard because it will help shape our future. If we are a worker, we need to work hard to improve our performance. Is there anything that we can do at this moment to improve our life? The biggest challenge that we are facing today is that entertainment and social media are very accessible. We can easily spend our time chatting through our social media, watching movies, TV shows, and videos, or playing games all day. However, they are not helping us to prepare for tomorrow. Social media and entertainment are not bad, but they cannot consume us.
Our Lord Jesus wants us to use our time productively. Spending time with God during our daily devotion helps us to grow in our relationship with Him. Taking care of our bodies, such as exercising, eating well, and having enough sleep, enables us to stay healthy. Studying and doing our school work help us get good grades and may help us in the future to get scholarships. Improving our performance at work may give us promotions and salary increase. Let us continue to be proactive and not be idle.
Ask yourself these questions: What does God want me to do while still living on this earth? What can I do today to be proactive? What is the advantage of being proactive?
Write down all the worries that you are facing today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, please help me to be proactive and not be idle. Please guide and give me a willing heart to be proactive. Please help me now with (mention your prayer requests). In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.