Sunday, October 18, 2009

Don't Waste Your Life

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:20-21)

"If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord." (Romans 14:8)

We have one life to live. How are you living your life?  You and I are not getting any younger.  Will you have any regrets on your death bed? When it's all been said and done, can we say that we did our best to live for God? "Have you ever seen the little plaque that reads, "Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last?" Well, that's not (all) what the poet wrote. The poet wrote this: "Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last. And when I am dying, how happy I'll be, if the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee." Do you think all Christians die happy? Not on your life! Some of them die as miserable as sinners. Why? Because they've misused their time and wasted their lives. Many of you have laid dying on a hospital bed and prayed, "Lord, if You would only spare me, I'll do this, that, or the other." Well, have you done it?" (Leonard Ravenhill)

We need to ask ourselves: Are we wasting away our lives?  "God created us to live with a single passion: to joyfully display His supreme excellence in all the spheres of life.  The wasted life is the life without this passion.  God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of Him in every part of our lives." (John Piper)  How do we use our time, talents, and treasures?  What is our passion in life?  Do we treasure Christ above all else?  "Treasuring life above Christ is a tragedy." (John Piper)  If you have never read Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper yet, I highly recommend it.

"Yes, Lord, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You; Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts." (Isaiah 26:8)

Lord, I desire to live my life for You! I can never thank You enough for Your grace & mercy and Your love for me. I will always sing praises to You and You alone. I delight in You, in Your Word, in pleasing & honoring You, and in displaying Your majesty. My life is a gift from You and it's Yours; please use it for Your glory and according to Your will. May Your passion be my passion. By Your grace, my life shall not be wasted. In Jesus's name I pray.  Amen. 

"I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." (Acts 20:24)

Please visit here for the links to other Spiritual Sundays posts. Have a blessed day in the Lord, everyone!

Note (as of Feb. 1, 2018): Today when I was searching on YouTube for the song, "When It's All Been Said and Done", I came across this video that used quotes and words (my prayer) from this blogpost. I was really surprised since the person who posted the video has never contacted me or asked for permission. I am okay with her using them as long as they're used for good. To God alone be all the glory!
 

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a wonderful post. Out of it, these words really hit me:
And when I am dying, how happy I'll be, if the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee

Thank you for sharing. May God bless your week.

Susan said...

May I live each and every day being led by His Word and His Voice is my prayer.
Susan

SmilingSally said...

To live for Him is to live a full life. I hope that you have a happy Sunday.

Debbie said...

This was great and soo full of wonderful truths I am going to go back and read it again when I am done here. I love that verse in Phillipians....thanks for sharing all this. Blessings to you, Debbie

RCUBEs said...

I love Don Moen's songs...Great thought-provoking post...We get caught up in the busyness of life, and forget that it is flickering like candle...Thank you for the reminder. God bless you and have a great weekend.

Denise said...

Bless you for such a wonderful post.

Musings of A Minister said...

Great words and music and Don Moen is one of my favorite singers. Thanks for posting.

Charlotte said...

This is so true. I love the song. It says it so beautifully. The older I get the more I realize how true it is. Thank you for reminding all of us.
Blessings,
Charlotte

Mary said...

The video, the scriptures, and your words are powerful and worth praying over, digging deep inside to see if we are, in fact, living this way...I am going to copy and paste this post to my files, so I can read it again, and forward it to friends and family. We must be careful how we live our lives...we have only one, and we will be accountable for our thoughts, words and actions. Thanks for sharing.

God bless,
Mary

Sue said...

I was so blessed by this song and post i had to read it twice, you have truly blessed me, and i thank you for sharing.
Blessings,
Sue

Dayle ~ A Collection of Days said...

Very convicting post. Thank you.

Regina said...

Love the song. Wonderful post.
thank you for sharing.

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