| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Sanctification” Our Bible verse for today: “For I am being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:6-7 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Don’t waste any of the years of your life” Bob Buford is in heaven now but during his lifetime he accomplished two important things. First, he made full use of all the seasons of his life. As a young man, he was a successful entrepreneur who worked hard, built businesses, invested wisely, and made a lot of money. Then, second, in middle-age he shifted gears and decided it was time to move from success to significance. He realized that a life that makes a real difference is about much more than just making money and having lots of possessions. Success gets you things, significance makes a difference for good in the lives of others. So, Bob wrote a book about that which became an international best-seller. It was called “Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance.” He then spent decades leading seminars and mentoring people as they made the shift from success to significance. Finally, he followed that with another best-seller called “Finishing Well: The Adventure of Life Beyond Halftime.” That book was all about remaining significant in the last season of life, what is often referred to as “the retirement years.” In “Finishing Well” Bob tells the story of a study that was conducted by Fuller Seminary which helps to illustrate the danger of living without passion and purpose. They looked at one hundred people in the Bible and how they finished life. The conclusion the study arrived at is that only one-third of those Biblical figures finished life well. Two-thirds of those people failed in some big way in the last season of life, and the primary reason for it was that they got lazy – lazy in life in general, and in the practice of their faith. They got lax about applying the truth of Scripture to their lives; then they stopped serving God and other people; and finally, they made excuses for their conduct. A similar pattern can be seen in Christians all around us. They live without a clear purpose and without a passionate commitment to making a meaningful difference in the world. This tends to become even more of a problem in the retirement years. They become less productive; they have no real purpose in life anymore that gets them out of bed in the morning; and they become less passionate about the practice of their faith and participating in ministry activities. This is sometimes referred to as the “retirement mode” and it is aimless and without focus. Studies show that people who retire without a new purpose they are passionate about and which gives them a sense of making a meaningful difference in the lives of others, die on average in less than seven years after retiring. God calls His people to be significant in all the seasons of life. We are not to waste any of them. The Apostle Paul was a man who lived well – he made a difference in life and he finished well. Paul didn’t waste any of his years, and neither should we. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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