How do you see your life?
“Life is lot like a carousel,” grumbled one old-timer. “You go in circles and then get off where you started.”
Or maybe life’s a car ride. Remember The Cosby Show’s Dr. Huxtable? He told his TV son, Theo, life was a car and education was like the gas. “The more you get the further you go.”
“Life is like a bull ride,” said a young cowboy with cancer. “It’s not the length of the ride that counts but how well you ride.”
Whatever kind of ride you’re on, one thing is sure: it’s a short one. Just like the thrill rides at theme parks. You can wait in line for hours—and then the ride is over in seconds.
It seems like we spend our lives waiting for exciting events: graduation, romance, marriage and births. Then it’s over and we watch the cycle repeat in our children’s lives.
Just when you think you’ve finally figured life out and the ride is going well—it’s time to get off. “Watch your step and exit to the right. Next, please.”
As a pastor I have conducted funerals for children, the aged and many in between. But there’s one thing they all had in common. When God decided their ride was over, it ended. Whether they rode well or not wasn’t for me to decide. That’s God’s responsibility.
Well hold on just a minute! What’s the measure of “riding well” or a life well lived?
A good time to find out is before your ride is over. It could make all the difference.
My goal is to make an impact on this world with eternal results. And that’s not easy. You know why? Because most things you do or collect won’t last forever. They’re temporary.
Some people have an impact on this world but very few make a lasting difference. If you want eternal results you have to work with the two things that are eternal: God’s Word and people’s souls. That’s why Jesus called his disciples to leave fishing and be “fishers of men.”
If you do decide to follow Jesus, hang on because you’re in for the ride of your life!
In some places today, following Jesus (or inviting others to follow him) will get you a free ride to prison. In extreme cases it would get you a trip to the executioner.
At the very least you would be misunderstood, ridiculed and harassed. But receiving love, forgiveness, peace, purpose and eternal life from God makes it worth it all. Plus, if you follow Jesus, you can bring to Heaven everyone who comes to Christ because of your example.
Now that’s making an eternal impact--increasing Heaven’s population!
What kind of ride are you on? Is it all about the money, the pleasure or the power to control other’s lives? If so, you’ll end up where you started. With nothing that lasts or satisfies.
Jesus calls us to a different kind of ride. One that is not so much about self as it is about serving others. He invites us to follow him. And it’s more exciting than any thrill ride!
Take the time for a reality check. What kind of ride has your life been until now? Is your life making an eternal difference? If not, now is a good time to switch rides!
The Bible tells us to redeem the time we have left on planet earth. To exchange our lives for something that will last forever. To put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. To make him our Lord and our God. And then to bring others to Jesus.
To find out more, don’t just take my word for it. Pick up a Bible and read the gospel of John in the New Testament and then keep reading. It can change your life for good.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Showing posts with label purpose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label purpose. Show all posts
Monday, April 7, 2008
Monday, September 3, 2007
Reading People
Can you read people like a book?
That’s an interesting question. We are a so-called “literate” nation. Statistical reports vary, but a high percentage of Americans can read. Most of us learned in first grade.
But we are also a nation of aliterates--people who can read but, for the most part, are completely uninterested in reading and literature. We choose not to read.
So many love their TVs and movies more than books. A report I once heard said the average person reads one book between their graduation and death.
But back to people. Many folks read people like they read books. They don’t.
In the same way we drive by libraries without stopping to read, we pass people every day and never stop to “read” them. We don’t pay attention to their hopes, dreams or needs. We’re not very interested in them unless they can do something for us.
Well hold it right there for just a minute! Why do other people even matter?
Other people matter because, according to the Bible, they’re part of life’s purpose.
The majority of Americans buy the lie that life is about accumulating things. Our unofficial motto is “Get all you can; can all you get; sit on the lid and poison the rest!” We want it all and we want more than anyone else. Plus we’ll pay almost any price to get it. So we sacrifice our health and even our families to “have it all.” How foolish.
In the process of pursuing our dreams, we run right over other people—and we never find satisfaction in life because we ignore them. They’re just not that important to us.
Jesus taught that people are very valuable to God. He will judge us based on how we help others. Jesus said that God expects more from those who have received much.
Unlike us, Jesus was a good reader of people. The Bible says that he knew men’s hearts.
One day a large crowd was with Jesus. His disciples saw a lot of people but Jesus saw them as “sheep without a shepherd.” He looked beyond the faults and saw their needs. He “read them like a book.” Why? Because he cared about them. He said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus’ followers realized that he saw people in a different light. They saw people as a bother. Jesus saw in them his purpose for being here on earth!
On the day of Pentecost Jesus’ disciples received the Holy Spirit and finally understood. They saw people like Jesus did. And when you become a Christian through faith in Jesus Christ, you finally begin to realize that life isn’t just about you. We are here to serve others.
The world’s standard, as acted out by millions of people every day, is “Hate one another.” But the Christian standard is “Love one another.” Jesus told his followers, “Do to others what you want them to do to you.” We call that “The Golden Rule.”
Over and over the Bible instructs Christians in their responsibility to others. They are to live in harmony with one another, love one another, accept one another, instruct one another, agree with one another, serve one another in love, be kind to one another, forgive one another, submit to one another, teach one another and encourage one another.
Why do we need the reminder? Because, if we “do what comes naturally,” we only think of ourselves. But, as someone observed, the best way to spell J-O-Y is Jesus, Others and You. Joy comes when we put Jesus first in our lives, then others second and ourselves last.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
That’s an interesting question. We are a so-called “literate” nation. Statistical reports vary, but a high percentage of Americans can read. Most of us learned in first grade.
But we are also a nation of aliterates--people who can read but, for the most part, are completely uninterested in reading and literature. We choose not to read.
So many love their TVs and movies more than books. A report I once heard said the average person reads one book between their graduation and death.
But back to people. Many folks read people like they read books. They don’t.
In the same way we drive by libraries without stopping to read, we pass people every day and never stop to “read” them. We don’t pay attention to their hopes, dreams or needs. We’re not very interested in them unless they can do something for us.
Well hold it right there for just a minute! Why do other people even matter?
Other people matter because, according to the Bible, they’re part of life’s purpose.
The majority of Americans buy the lie that life is about accumulating things. Our unofficial motto is “Get all you can; can all you get; sit on the lid and poison the rest!” We want it all and we want more than anyone else. Plus we’ll pay almost any price to get it. So we sacrifice our health and even our families to “have it all.” How foolish.
In the process of pursuing our dreams, we run right over other people—and we never find satisfaction in life because we ignore them. They’re just not that important to us.
Jesus taught that people are very valuable to God. He will judge us based on how we help others. Jesus said that God expects more from those who have received much.
Unlike us, Jesus was a good reader of people. The Bible says that he knew men’s hearts.
One day a large crowd was with Jesus. His disciples saw a lot of people but Jesus saw them as “sheep without a shepherd.” He looked beyond the faults and saw their needs. He “read them like a book.” Why? Because he cared about them. He said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus’ followers realized that he saw people in a different light. They saw people as a bother. Jesus saw in them his purpose for being here on earth!
On the day of Pentecost Jesus’ disciples received the Holy Spirit and finally understood. They saw people like Jesus did. And when you become a Christian through faith in Jesus Christ, you finally begin to realize that life isn’t just about you. We are here to serve others.
The world’s standard, as acted out by millions of people every day, is “Hate one another.” But the Christian standard is “Love one another.” Jesus told his followers, “Do to others what you want them to do to you.” We call that “The Golden Rule.”
Over and over the Bible instructs Christians in their responsibility to others. They are to live in harmony with one another, love one another, accept one another, instruct one another, agree with one another, serve one another in love, be kind to one another, forgive one another, submit to one another, teach one another and encourage one another.
Why do we need the reminder? Because, if we “do what comes naturally,” we only think of ourselves. But, as someone observed, the best way to spell J-O-Y is Jesus, Others and You. Joy comes when we put Jesus first in our lives, then others second and ourselves last.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
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