How to Be Fully Present

Be Where Your Feet Are: Living Fully Present Like Jesus

Scripture References

Primary text

• Psalm 118:24
• Matthew 6:34

Other references

• John 19:1
• James 4:13-14

Overview

Jesus never hurried past people. Whether a blind beggar or a corrupt tax collector, He stopped, looked, listened, and loved with undivided attention. The message calls us to imitate that focus by surrendering the past we cannot change and the future we cannot control. Distraction—especially from our phones and “when-then / what-if” thinking—steals nearly half of our lives. With faith, we can reclaim each God-given moment, love the person right in front of us, and experience His grace now, not someday.

Main Points

Jesus models undivided attention

• Two back-to-back Jericho encounters:
  • Illustration: Blind Bartimaeus (Luke account referenced): crowds try to silence him; Jesus halts, asks what he wants, heals him.
  • Illustration: Zacchaeus (mis-stated as John 19:1): wealthy, despised tax collector in a tree; Jesus calls him by name, invites Himself to lunch; salvation comes to his house.
• Whether “down-and-out” or “up-and-out,” Jesus has time for anyone.
• Key observation: the miracle wasn’t just healing or repentance; it was Jesus giving people His full attention.

The epidemic of distraction

• Harvard study: 47 % of waking time people’s minds are not where their bodies are.
• Mobile phone stats: average user touches phone 2,617 times a day; top 10 % exceed 5,400.
• Toys-everywhere memory: once-annoying seasons become the moments we later miss. Story: six-child household now mostly empty—and a tidy house feels lonelier.

• “Some of you are complaining today about moments you’ll miss tomorrow.”

Two mental games that steal the present

• When–Then game: happiness postponed to the next milestone (graduation, job, kids, retirement).
• What-If game: anxiety spiraling into imagined futures (tests, jobs, aliens).
• Jesus’ answer: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow…” (Matthew 6).

Faith is the doorway to presence

• We must release a past we cannot redo and trust God with a future we cannot script.
• James 4 reminds us we are “a mist”―time flows like sand in an hourglass:
  • No one knows how much sand remains.
  • Sand never stops and never returns.

• “This is the day the Lord has made.” (Psalm 118)

Practicing presence

• Celebrate ordinary moments: standing and applauding simply because we are together in God’s presence.
• Illustration: Hour-long plane rides and hot-air-balloon trips with son Steven were special, yet the deepest moment was a spontaneous hug at a student ministry night when he said, “Dad, can you believe how amazing our God is?”
• The smallest exchanges—eye contact, undistracted listening, timely encouragement—often carry eternal weight.

Jesus stayed present even in pain

• On the cross, battered and suffocating, He listened to the criminal beside Him and promised, “Today you will be with Me in paradise.”
• If Jesus could notice someone in His worst moment, we can notice people in ours.

Key Truths

• Being fully present is one of the greatest gifts of love you can give.
• Distraction—especially digital—robs us of the life God places right before our eyes.
• Faith frees us to inhabit “now”: God redeems the past and holds the future.
• Our lives are a vapor; every day is a non-refundable, God-given opportunity.
• The most important person is the one right in front of you right now.

Response

• Surrender yesterday’s regrets to God.
• Trust Him with tomorrow instead of rehearsing “what-ifs.”
• Put the phone face-down and out of reach during conversations.
• Look people in the eye and listen until they finish.
• Thank God aloud each morning: “This is Your day; I will rejoice and be glad in it.”
• Act on promptings to serve or encourage immediately—don’t wait for a “better time.”

Closing

Life’s hourglass is running, and we don’t know how much sand is left. Jesus shows that the holiest ground is the ground beneath our feet, and the holiest moment is the one we are living. Salvation, freedom, grace, and purpose are available now—not someday.

“This is the day the Lord has made; we will be glad and rejoice in it.”

Prayer

Heavenly Father, forgive all my sins.
Jesus, save me, make me new.
Fill me with Your Spirit so I can follow You and show Your love in all I do.
My life is not my own; I give it to You.
In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.