Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “A life of service”
Our Bible verse for today: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Live life large.”
Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most popular and encouraging verses in the Old Testament. Christians read that promise (spoken by God to Jeremiah but which is also true for us), and we are rightly encouraged to know that God has a great plan for our individual lives.
Unfortunately people often imagine that great plan to center around things like having a good career, making lots of money, finding Mr. or Mrs. Right, and then settling down into a comfortable life in a cute little house with a white picket fence, 2.5 kids, a mini-van and a dog.
While it could turn out that those things do describe the life God has planned for you, it’s not the kind of life Jesus described for His followers when He said in Matthew 16:24 that we are to take up our cross and follow Him. In the New Testament Jesus painted a picture of disciples who are fully committed to a life of service to God and to others. He described that life as a full life, a life of challenge and great adventure, but also one requiring sacrifice and faithfulness over the long-term. He described such a life as one greatly pleasing to the Father (Well done, good and faithful servant …).
Years ago I heard a preacher challenge his listeners to “live life large”. He was talking about embracing the Christian life as a great adventure and then serving God and others with gusto and enthusiasm. That service could include exotic adventures like going on overseas mission trips, or it could be as simple as visiting in a nursing home, taking a meal to a sick person, or teaching a Sunday school class.
In the book “The Sender”, the main character Charlie was battling a rare form of cancer and he had no idea if he would beat it and live, or if the remaining number of his days on earth were short and coming to a quick end. One of the anonymous notes of encouragement he received from “The Sender” said, “Charlie, we all die in the end, just don’t die in the middle. Don’t live a small self-centered life.”
That right there is the key to living life large, to living the full and adventurous Christian life that Jesus intends for you to have – don’t be small and self-centered. Don’t live a boring life that is all about you and that makes God yawn as He watches you. Instead, be active and alive and focused on making a difference in the lives of people all around you.
Live life large. Live until you die. The best way to do that – the Biblical way to do that – is to live a life of service.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 