Sounds more like a threat than a devotional, doesn't it? But it's true. Your days, my days, are numbered. And we really don't know the number of those days, do we? Over the last few weeks, that truth has been brought to mind more than once.
Families in Connecticut spent their first Christmas without loved ones. A friend of our church lost a sweet little daughter. A beloved man of faith celebrated Christmas in the presence of his Savior.
But no matter whether our days are numbered few or many, they are numbered. One day, each and every one of us will see the number of our days expire.
So the question is, when that expiration date hits, how will you have spent those days? The older I get, the more I realize how I've wasted so many of my days. I don't have time here to give my entire testimony, but even though I was raised to know Jesus and even though I'd given my life to Him as a child, for many reasons, I'd taken control, and I spent twenty years doing my own thing, seeking fulfillment in work and parties and drinking. Whatever I could find to fill those empty places in my heart.
Then close to twenty years ago, I recommitted my life to Christ, and I've been a work in progress ever since. But even then, I've wasted so many of my numbered days. I haven't been full-out committed to serving God. Instead of focusing on Him, I've focused on myself or the world.
I'm rereading a wonderful book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I highly recommend it to all my Christian friends. I just read the chapter called "Serving Leftovers to a Holy God." And oh, how I've been convicted by many of its words:
"Jesus' call to commitment is clear: He wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself a 'Christan' without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd."
After quoting Malachi 1:8, Chan writes, "Leftovers [focusing on ourselves and giving God whatever is left over] are not merely inadequate; from God's point of view (and lest we forget, His is the only one that matters), they're evil. Let's stop calling it a 'busy schedule' or 'bills' or 'forgetfulness.' It's called evil."
And the zinger?
"... the fact is that nothing should concern us more than our relationship with God; it's about eternity, and nothing compares with that. God is not someone who can be tacked on to our lives."
If you're not a Christian (one who has committed his or her life to following Christ, completely and irrevocably), then you can number your days however you choose. Party until the cows come home. Hoard your time and your money. Eat, drink, and be merry.
But if you're a Christian, think about what that means. You're to love God, heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). You should give generously (1 Chronicles 29:14); in fact, you should be willing to give everything to God (Luke 14:33; 18:22). You should be taking up the cross of Christ every day, being willing to do whatever and go wherever He asks (Matthew 16:24-17). You should be loving others deeply (Mark 12:31; John 15:13).
We're starting a new calendar year. I pray this year, those of you who know Jesus will draw closer to Him. And if you don't know Him, make this the year that you seek Him ... and find Him.
Finally, if you think you think you know the God of the Bible, if you've been calling yourself a Christian, but haven't truly committed your life to Him, I pray you'll do so. Read His word. Ask Him to reveal His truth to you in a very real way. Know Him intimately.
Because, as Chan writes:
God doesn't just want us to have good theology; He wants us to know and love Him. First John 2:3-4 tells us, "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, 'I know him,' but doesn't not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him."Life is short. One day (and it could be sooner than we think), we'll stand in at the throne of our God. What will you say to Him when He asks what you did to love Him and know Him?
Call me crazy, but I think those verses mean that the person who claims to know God but doesn't obey is a liar and that the truth isn't in him.
Your days are numbered. I pray you focus on those things that have eternal value.
May your 2013 be blessed. Truly blessed.
No comments:
Post a Comment