Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “A life worth living”
Our Bible verse for today: “Lord, reveal to me the end of my life and the number of my days. Let me know how short-lived I am.” Psalm 39:6 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Make your life count.”
The singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffet once sang the line, “I’d rather die while I’m living than live while I’m dead.” Profound stuff, that. Far too many people die long before their heart stops beating. For all intents and purposes people die the day they stop dreaming, the day they no longer have a passion for life and a purpose to achieve. Consequently they just shuffle through their days, putting in their time and getting through life.
No thank you.
Personally I want to enjoy life – fully. I want to live every day with passion and purpose, squeezing every ounce of meaning out of it. I don’t ever want to just put in my time and get through it.
I started us out this month by considering Benjamin Franklin’s challenging question: “Do you value life? Then value your time because time is the stuff life is made of.” This is what King David was referring to in Psalm 39:6. Life is short, so make the most of it. Don’t waste your time because by doing so, you’re wasting your life.
In his book “Chase the Lion”, Mark Batterson, writing about himself, said, “I need a life goal to keep me going. I need a noble cause to keep me committed. I need a God-sized dream to keep me from getting demotivated.”
I think Mark’s observations are insightful and helpful. Do you have a big picture in mind of the man or woman God is turning you into? What do you expect to be like five years from now, ten years? What kind of man or woman will you be? What will you have achieved? How will you have grown? What will your life be like?
The choices you make today will determine what your life will be like tomorrow, and next week, and next month, next year, next decade. If you don’t have clear purpose and direction then you will just wander through your days willy-nilly without purpose or direction, and wherever you end up, there you will be.
There is a great contemporary praise song that’s popular right now entitled “Life is short, I want to live it well.” It’s by the band “Switchfoot” and it tells the story of a man who is determined to live life fully. Here are a few lines from the song:
“Life is short I want to live it well, one life, one story to tell.
Life is short I want to live it well, and you’re the one I’m living for.
Awaken, oh my soul! Every breath that you take is a miracle.
Life is short I want to live it well.
I want to sing with all my heart a lifelong song.
Even if some notes come out right and some come out wrong.
’Cause I can’t take none of that through the door.
I’m living for more than just a funeral.
I want to burn brighter than the dawn”
I encourage you to make your life count in 2017. Determine to live a life that truly matters and that really makes a difference.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 