OUTLINE:

Learning To Live In the Now
We have bought the lie - ‘that any other time other than the present is what really counts.'

“until the end”
A person who doesn't "hold fast" until the end is an apostate, someone who was never saved in the first place. Apostasy is a case of false profession of faith, the proof being that said faith doesn't hold up over time.

“as long as it is still called today”
We are to "live in the NOW" because time is short and there are some who profess faith in Christ who aren't known by Him (e.g. Mt 7:23). The weight of our "yesterday" or "tomorrow" pales in comparison to someone else's eternity!

God wants us to be flexible, every day, looking out for divine opportunities, being open to His Spirit changing our agenda for today.

Perspective
Most Christians, at least to some degree, are living either in the past or the future, or both. This shows a lack of faith as well as a an arrogance that does not put others before self. (Php 2:1-8)

Self absorption and self pity lead to an unhealthy preoccupation with the past or the future. But if we keep our eyes on the Lord instead of self, we are useful to the Master, TODAY.  

Perspective
It is our duty, as loving members of Christ’s magnificent Body, to remind each other, that today - right now - is a grace gift from our Heavenly Father. Let us share it with OTHERS, not being self-absorbed about yesterday or tomorrow.

Life is boring only when we submit to our own agendas for the day. We mustn't let our flesh make us captive to a selfish agenda, but we must constantly seek HIS agenda.

Perspective
Why do we expend so much time/energy on being anxious? Why do we try to “fix” yesterday’s mistakes and “prepare” for tomorrow’s? Who are we depending on, anyways? (Mt 6:24-34)

Our Hope Is In Christ
Christ is the greatest expression of mercy in the history of the Universe. (Jn 3:16-17; Eph 2:4-7; 1Ti 1:12-16; Tit 3:3-7; 1Pe 1:3-5; 2:9-10; Jude 17-25)

God didn’t have to send His Son, as a divine show of mercy, but He did. No more should be said. Rest on that.

Perverted Mercy
One particular way in which contemporary “Christian” churches have perverted the definition of mercy is to propose the following lie: “God is SO merciful that He grants forgiveness even to those who refuse His Son, who refuse to repent, who refuse to be humbled, but live a ‘good’ life.”

God’s Mercy
Mercy does not widen the gate that leads to life (Mt 7:13-14). It is abundantly merciful for God to even open said gate at all!!! (Ro 5:8-10)

Mercy is solely in the hands of the offended party.

God’s Mercy
Salvation is given to those willing to receive it on GOD'S terms, not some "negotiated" contract invented by man through his own reasoning and sensibilities towards self. Mercy is a non-negotiable term (the Bible describes its limits wrt salvation).

God’s Mercy
Mercy does not widen the gate that leads to life (Mt 7:13-14). It is abundantly merciful for God to even open said gate at all!!! (Ro 5:8-10)

God’s Mercy
Instead of focusing on what God supposedly DOESN'T do for mankind, we ought to rightly focus on all that He DOES for His fallen creatures!

God's glory is in His grace.

Eph 1:6
to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved

Is 30:18
Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who long for Him.

God's glory is in His grace.