LIVING LIKE TODAY IS YOUR LAST DAY

It appears that all of the hoopla and buffoonery surrounding the ending of the Earth is gonna go the same way as the last scare (12/31/1999).  I’ve been working this week on two other posts, but this morning I was motivated to comment upon this end of the world stuff. 

The truth is we should take the “end of the world” seriously!  Obviously, the date is bogus, however, the Bible tells us that the day will come when the world will indeed end.  Even scientist have predicted a time when our Sun will consume this planet (they all agree it won’t be anytime soon).

Many movies write quotable lines for the dying words spoken by one of the heroes. Things like the dying statement spoken by George Gipp, “Win one for the Gipper.” or Captain Miller’s last words in Saving Private Ryan, “James, earn this...earn it.”  One of my favorites is from Star Trek, The Wrath of Kahn, Spock as he is dying says to Kirk, “You have and always will be my friend.” We want our last words, if possible, to be worthy of remembering. 

Our world is filled with tragic events which underscore how sudden death might come about. Hirotsugu Kawaguchi, a 52 year old Japanese father of three, wrote his last words in several notes to his children aboard a Japan Air Lines flight 123, as it was crashing.

Be good to each other and work hard, Help your mother.
I'm very sad but I’m sure I won’t make it . . . .
To think that our dinner last night was the last time . . . .
I am grateful for the truly happy life I have enjoyed until now.
PLEASE LORD HELP ME!(Source: http://users.belgacom.net/gc674645/grave/lastword.htm, accessed 12/21/2012)

Jesus also reserved his most powerful statement to be given as his last words on earth.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (HCSB)

It is kinda sad that we didn’t take the Mayans seriously.  I’m convinced that the world would be a better place if we lived each day as it were our last.  There are several songs that address this topic also one is sung by Tim McGraw.  In it he expresses the change that took place in his life when he began to live life as if it is indeed temporary.

Well, I finally read the Good Book,
And I took a good long hard look,
At what I'd do if I could do it all again

Tim McGraw - “Live Like You Were Dying”

People need to know God’s Word (“the Good Book”).  The only way that will happen is for those of us who are Believers to know God’s word and spread it to the world around us.  The fact is we don’t know the day or the time of our death or of the end of the world.  However, we do know that it will be sudden and we need to expect it soon.  The time is short. Lets not waste it by creating moments that we may regret.  Lets take advantage of the time we have to create memories that we will cherish.  Memories of obedience to Christ’s command to “make disciples."

Yeah, we gotta start lookin' at the hands of the time we've been given
If this is all we got, then we gotta start thinkin'
If every second counts on a clock that's tickin'
Gotta live like we're dying

We only got 86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell 'em that we love 'em
while we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying

Kris Allen - “Live Like We're Dying”

The challenge for each of us is “What would you do if you knew today was going to be your last day on Earth?” 

PRESS ON OR MOVE ON

About ten years ago my family and I walked into our first worship service at Deltona Lakes Baptist Church.  Right away we could feel the warmth of Christian love among the congregation.  Since that day, my family has been blessed to know the feeling of Koinonia* that can only exist in the hearts of God’s people. Not only have I experience this special love, but I have been blessed to witness many of our church members demonstrate that same love to each other and even to strangers!

It is said that the average stay of a pastor is 2.7 years (I once interviewed at a church that was preparing to hire their 6th youth pastor in 5 years). Our senior pastor is beginning his 21st year and I my eleventh.  There have been many difficult times, times when either or both of us have wanted to run away, but we have held onto God’s calling on our lives and stayed faithful to His ministry assignment.

Mature Christians learn to persevere through hardships and persecution. In fact, endurance is a requirement for spiritual maturity!

But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:4 (HCSB)

Ministry leaders will never develop a deep trusting relationship with God as long as we “jump ship” every time the job becomes unpleasant or difficult. If strong human relationships require a strong commitment how much more will a strong spiritual relationship also require a strong commitment to God?

Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way. For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession. So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised. Hebrews 10:32-36 (HCSB)

Note the key words the writer uses in this piece of scripture: hard struggle, sufferings, and sympathized with prisoners. Specifically, he uses the word endure three times once in past tense, once in present tense, and in the future tense.  The Bible seems to place a premium on endurance and perseverance.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 2 Peter 1:5-7 (HCSB)

Reflecting back on the past ten years, I am amazed at the many ways God has blessed our congregation.  When we had 3 hurricanes in 6 weeks (we jokingly refer to this as “40 days of hurricanes), God protected us.  When our backs were against the wall financially, God provided for us. When we sent teams to help other towns following tornadoes and hurricanes, God prepared us. Singer Andre’ Crouch expressed it this way, “If never had any problems, then I’d never know that God could solve them.”  There is no denying that the Spirit of God continues to be at work. 

You are the God who works wonders; You revealed Your strength among the peoples.
Psalm 77:14 (HCSB)

There must be many in ministry who are struggling with the tough question, “Do I stay or go?” or “Should I press on or should I move on?” Only God can correctly answer those questions.  Have the courage to pray “I will not let go of this work until You bless me.” (Genesis 32:26 paraphrased).

So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.  Galatians 6:9 (HCSB)

My point is to demonstrate the value of the blessings received from enduring in any God-given ministry assignment. The day will come when we will say “It is done.” and we will pass the leadership role on to another. But until that day comes lets all continue to fight the good fight, endure hardship, and finish the task God has appointed us to complete.


* For more on Koinonia see: my post “Back to Blogging” at: http://docfox09.blogspot.com/2012/10/back-to-blogging.html

LEGACY

leg·a·cy – something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.

At some point in life each person has or will reflect on his or her impact in this world.  Perhaps the first time is at high school graduation.  We see the end of high school, a time best described as the best of time and the worst of time, approaching and begin to reflect on those years perhaps wondering what difference did it make. 

In the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life”, the main character George Bailey gets a view of what the world had been like if he had never been born. George is given an opportunity to see the positive impact his young life has had on the people of an entire town.  There is one scene where George has discovered his brother Harry's tombstone:

Clarence: [explaining] Your brother, Harry Bailey, broke through the ice and was drowned at the age of nine.
George Bailey: That's a lie! Harry Bailey went to war! He got the Congressional Medal of Honor! He saved the lives of every man on that transport!
Clarence: Every man on that transport died. Harry wasn't there to save them, because you weren't there to save Harry.

George's life even impacted people that he didn't know and had never met.

What a great gift it would be for each of us to see the positive impact our life has had so far.  At the same time, it might be a bit of a curse.  After all there are those of us who’s impact would have to be an established series.  Unfortunately, there are others of us whose impact would barley fill a commercial.  

I have an aunt who will celebrate her 89th birthday this Saturday, unfortunately I can’t be there.  She has and is continuing to build her legacy.  When my father was ten, his father died.  Circumstances required my father to live with several relatives.  Soon after my Aunt Gladys married my father went to live with her. Later after my brother, sister and I were born, my parents would not only take us to visit Aunt Gladys, but we were allowed to visit for a week or two every summer. 

There are so many wonderful stories that testify to the faith in God that anchored the lives of my aunt and uncle that they cannot all be told in one sitting.  My personal favorite is every night Aunt Gladys would gather all of us together and we would read from the Bible. After finishing the chapter or story she would then help us to understand the thing(s) God was teaching us through this piece of Scripture.

I am convinced that a big part of my being a Christian, even becoming a pastor, comes from the Godly influence Aunt Gladys has had and is presently having on my life!  Through me she is impacting people she doesn't know and will most probably never meet on this side of Heaven.

Here’s the short of all of this.  Aunt Gladys passed on her faith to her children, who then passed it on to their spouses and their children.  Those children (Aunt Gladys’ great grand children in case you are having trouble keeping up) are passing that same faith on to their spouses and to their children also.  But that’s not all!  Aunt Gladys passed her faith on to my father, my siblings and myself.  We in turn are passing that same faith and influence on to our children.  There is still more!  There were ten children in the Foxworth clan. That makes for a lot of cousins.  To my knowledge every one of those cousins spent time with Aunt Gladys and her faith in God was passed on to each of them too!  What a legacy!

So, take time to day to reflect on your legacy?
Ask: “Am I living a life that points people to Jesus or away from Him?”
“What will be my legacy?”
Hopefully my legacy will be more than a statue in a park, a name on the side of a building, or the dash between two dates on a grave marker. 

In the words of Clarence from “It’s A Wonderful Life”, “Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?”