Does it ever strike you that there seem to be periods of your life when God is on a "kick"? When He keeps teaching you the same thing, over and over again, until you finally 'get it'? It certainly strikes me. In fact, I seem to be in the middle of one such kick right now.
Today I started reading "Don't waste your life," by John Piper. The purpose of this book is to remind us that we were created for God's glory, and any life that accomplishes something other than that is a wasted life. But the cool thing to me is that a purposeful life does not necessarily mean that you must become a clergyman or nun. Like I said yesterday, basically anything that we do, any hobby that we enjoy, any talent that we possess can be used to glorify God.
But just because they can be used to glorify God doesn't mean that they always are used. John Piper gave a moving illustration about an old man who finally found God at a revivalist's tent meeting. As he stood there, basking in his Savior's love while he sorrowfully looked backed at all those years he lived without it, he was crying as he cried out with regret, "I've wasted it! I've wasted my life!"
I shudder when I hear that story. As a young woman with her whole life ahead of her, I still think that I would rather die young than come to the end of my life and realize that it had all been a waste. But how do we not waste our lives?? What can we do that will actually matter, in the grand scheme of things?
Philippians 1:21 says that "To live is Christ, but to die is gain." So, it looks like a life-filled existence means one that lives for Christ. But how do we live for someone we don't know? Just to make sure that you don't spend too much time scratching your head and trying to come up with an answer to that question, I'll go ahead and tell you: we can't. Living for someone, completely submitting your will to theirs, requires that we know that person.
So the secret for a meaningful existence? Get closer to Jesus - and do what He says. It may not be the traditional "American dream," but it sure will be a wild ride!!
Today I started reading "Don't waste your life," by John Piper. The purpose of this book is to remind us that we were created for God's glory, and any life that accomplishes something other than that is a wasted life. But the cool thing to me is that a purposeful life does not necessarily mean that you must become a clergyman or nun. Like I said yesterday, basically anything that we do, any hobby that we enjoy, any talent that we possess can be used to glorify God.
But just because they can be used to glorify God doesn't mean that they always are used. John Piper gave a moving illustration about an old man who finally found God at a revivalist's tent meeting. As he stood there, basking in his Savior's love while he sorrowfully looked backed at all those years he lived without it, he was crying as he cried out with regret, "I've wasted it! I've wasted my life!"
I shudder when I hear that story. As a young woman with her whole life ahead of her, I still think that I would rather die young than come to the end of my life and realize that it had all been a waste. But how do we not waste our lives?? What can we do that will actually matter, in the grand scheme of things?
Philippians 1:21 says that "To live is Christ, but to die is gain." So, it looks like a life-filled existence means one that lives for Christ. But how do we live for someone we don't know? Just to make sure that you don't spend too much time scratching your head and trying to come up with an answer to that question, I'll go ahead and tell you: we can't. Living for someone, completely submitting your will to theirs, requires that we know that person.
So the secret for a meaningful existence? Get closer to Jesus - and do what He says. It may not be the traditional "American dream," but it sure will be a wild ride!!
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