It's All Good: 12 Devotions to Embrace Your NowSample

Tips for Present Living

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. PSALM 37:3

Psalm 37:3 is a recipe card for a "present" kind of life. It sums up the process in four simple steps: Trust. Do. Dwell. Cultivate. The starting point is Trust. We must trust God. God is sovereign. He’s in control. Because of this, He can do whatever He wants. That means He can even cause all the challenging or difficult things in your life to work together for good. He can take whatever was harmful and transform it into something good. Something you look at and say, “Wow, that was worth it because this—right now—is good.” God brings about good, but He does this when you trust Him. To trust is to obey.

The second step: “Do good.” Doing good doesn’t mean you have to do the most good to the most people the most times. The thought of doing good shouldn’t make you feel pressure to live up to something. God isn’t keeping score. Some days lend themselves to doing good more often than others. Some people lend themselves to doing good to them more so than others. (Am I right?) Don’t look at it like a box to check off. To “do good” means that good is your way of life, not an event. It’s not a photo to post. It’s thinking of the greater good of others as you go about your life. (Pro-tip: to live a do-good kind of life, you have to be present enough to be open to seeing the opportunities!)

The third step involves where you dwell. The verse tells us to “dwell in the land.” That doesn’t mean you can’t move or change neighborhoods. But it does mean you treat your moves like the Israelites did: they followed God’s lead. Early on, He showed them when to move by using a cloud or a pillar of fire. As they developed into a nation, He told them in other ways.

God has His own unique style of speaking to you too. If He wants you to move somewhere, He’ll say it. But until He does, be satisfied dwelling where you are right now. To dwell is to be present. It’s to show up. It’s to contribute toward and be blessed by the now moments rather than always be house-shopping, career-shopping, relationship-shopping, or dreaming of that better day.

Lastly, “cultivate faithfulness.” Faithfulness simply means authenticity. It means truthfulness and dependability. You do this by aligning your thoughts, words, and actions with your inner values. When these align, you’re living an authentic, faithful, and present life.

Jesus, help me to trust, do, dwell, and cultivate a life pleasing to You. Amen.