TWENTY SIX: THE DAY MY PLATE WAS BROKEN
1. “We’d love for you to come back, but we’ve already broken your plate.” (That was west Texas talk for “We love you, Max, but it’s time to grow up.”).
2. It takes a wise father to know when to push his son out of the nest. It’s painful, but it has to be done. I’ll always be thankful that my dad gave me wings and then made me use them.
What are some of the “nests” we get too comfortable in?
Have you ever had a positive plate-breaking experience like this one?
Do you need one now?
TWENTY SEVEN: PUTTING YOUR BELIEFS WHERE YOUR HEART IS
1. Take a pen and paper and get alone. Go where it’s quiet, where you can think. Find a place that will offer you an hour’s worth of uninterrupted thinking. Then sit down. Take your pen in your hand and—are you ready?—write down what you believe. Not what you think or hope or speculate but what you believe. Put on paper those bedrock convictions that are worth building a life on, that are worth giving a life for.
2. Now look at your list. Analyze it. What do you think? Is your foundation solid enough to stand on? If not, be patient. Give yourself some time to grow. Don’t throw that list away. Keep it. The next time you’re intimidated by Mr. Know-It-All or by Miss-Have-It-All, the next time your self-image limps out the door, pull out your list. Take a long look at it. Have any of your undeniables been threatened? Has your foundation been attacked? Usually not.
3. Here’s the point: If you know what you believe (I mean really know it), if you know what’s important and what’s trivial, then you won’t be tied down by all the little Lilliputians in the world. I really believe that.
TWENTY EIGHT: SOMEDAY
1. Thousands of years before Jesus was called the Lamb of God, God promised forgiveness. “Someday,” He promised Hosea. “Someday, I will remember their sins no more.” “Someday,” God confided to Jeremiah, “these people will be My people and I will be their God.” “And someday,” wrote David, “the mistakes of men will be tossed, not under a rug or behind the sofa, but far, far away. As far as the east is from the west.”
2. And do you know what? That someday came. On a garbage heap outside of Jerusalem. Someday the almighty God, who has every right to make me burn forever, will look past my apathy, my gluttony, my lying, and my lusting. He will point to the cross and invite me to come home . . . forgiven . . . forever.
How do you view your sins? As if they can be swept under the rug, or as permanent blots on your record?
Look at the promises of God shown in this chapter. What do you believe they say about you and your sins?
For those of us who already know forgiveness of sins now, through Jesus, what is the significance of “someday”?
TWENTY NINE: GOD, DON'T YOU CARE?
"Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?" (Mark 4:38).
1. “God, don’t you care?” “Why me?” “Why my friend?” “Why my business?” It’s the timeless question. The question asked by literally every person that has stalked this globe. There has never been a soul who hasn’t wrestled with this aching question. Does my God care? Or is my pain God’s great goof?
2. As the winds howled and the sea raged, the impatient and frightened disciples screamed their fear at the sleeping Jesus. “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?” He could have kept on sleeping. He could have told them to shut up. He could have impatiently jumped up and angrily dismissed the storm. He could have pointed out their immaturity. . . . But He didn’t.
3. With all the patience that only one who cares can have, He answered the question. He hushed the storm so the shivering disciples wouldn’t miss His response. Jesus answered once and for all the aching dilemma of man: Where is God when I hurt?
Listening and healing. That’s where He is. He cares.
Have you ever been in a life storm and thought God was asleep, or at least looking somewhere else? Are you in one now?
When God silences your storm, how do you respond?
THIRTY: THE BLUNTED AX
1. Until the Cross, Satan held a cruel ax over man’s head. All feared the ax of death. Its eerie glimmer humbled all who faced it. From the greatest to the smallest, all avoided the ax. Satan’s mysterious, abrupt blade severed man from the living and cast him into the unknown.
2. Until the Cross. It was at the Cross that the power of the ax was dissolved and its true weakness disclosed. With all of the strength that Satan could muster and all the cruelty he could display, he brought the ax down upon the neck of the Son of God. The savage blow rang throughout the forest of death and echoed across the universe.
3. But the Divine Figure was not to be trapped. His body rose from the block, His head still intact, His life surviving. Jesus had blunted the ax. Jesus had flouted the executioner’s threat. Turning to Satan, He posed the question that paved the path to immortality. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
What is this “ax of death”? What does it mean for us today?
Does death still have a sting for us—for you? How?
How does the Cross dissolve the power of death?
THIRTY ONE: VALENTINE'S DAY, 1965
1. I told our preacher I wanted to be baptized into Jesus. With an innocent faith that children so easily have, I asked God to take over. Did I understand all the implications of my conversion? No. All I knew was that Jesus’ love awaited those who would respond to it, so I did. Ever since that day the Creator of the world—the almighty God—has watched over me like a daddy over a baby, loving me as I have never deserved and sticking with me when others left. It was the most beautiful day of my life. What a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
What is your “Valentine’s” story with God? Is it a story that you cherish?
How have you asked God to take over your life? Take some time to reflect on your decision and how your life has changed since then.
THIRTY TWO: OPEN MANHOLES AND SUDDEN SIN
1. Very few sins are premeditated and planned. Very few of us would qualify for Satan’s strategy team. We spend our time avoiding sin, not planning it. But don’t think for one minute that, just because you don’t want to fall, you won’t. Satan has a special trick for you, and he only pulls it out when you aren’t looking.
2. Bull’s-eye! You lose your temper. You lust. You fall. You take a drag. You buy a drink. You kiss the woman. You follow the crowd. You rationalize. You say yes. You sign your name. You forget who you are. You walk into her room. You look in the window. You break your promise. You buy the magazine. You lie. You covet. You stomp your feet and demand your way. You deny your Master.
3. Want to sharpen your defenses a bit? Do you need help in reinforcing your weaponry? Have you tumbled down the manhole one too many times? Then consider these ideas:
• First, recognize satan. Our war is not with flesh and blood but with satan himself. Do like Jesus did when satan met Him in the wilderness. Call him by name. Rip off his mask. Denounce his disguise.
• Second, accept God’s forgiveness. Romans chapter 7 is the Emancipation Proclamation for those of us who have a tendency to tumble. Look at verse 15: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Sound familiar? Read on. Verses 18 and 19: “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”
4. Thank God and drink deeply as you read verse 25 and verse 1 of chapter 8: “Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! . . . Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Amen. There it is. You read it right. Underline it if you wish. For those in Christ there is no condemnation. Absolutely none. Claim the promise. Memorize the words. Accept the cleansing. Throw out the guilt. Praise the Lord. And . . . watch out for open manholes.
Think about the idea of Satan’s “special tricks.” Which ones tend to work on you?
What steps do you need to take to keep yourself from the manholes of those “sudden sins”?
What hope is there for us who are so susceptible to sin?
THIRTY THREE: WHO'S IN CHARGE HERE?
1. Ever have trouble determining God’s will for your future? You’re not alone. “Do I move to Mobile, or Minnesota?” “Do I retire, or keep working?” “An engineer at IBM, or a clerk at Sears?” “Do I marry, or stay single?” The questions are endless. One follows another. Every new responsibility brings new decisions. “What college should my son attend?” “Is it time for children?” “Should I live near the church, or commute?” How in the world do we know what God wants? Do we set out a fleece seek advice? pray? read the Bible? All these are right, yet there is one decision that must be made first. (Hang on, it’s a tough one).
To know God’s will, we must totally surrender to God’s will. Our tendency is to make God’s decision for Him.
2. Don’t go to God with options and expect Him to choose one of your preferences. Go to Him with empty hands—no hidden agendas, no crossed fingers, nothing behind your back. Go to Him with a willingness to do whatever He says. If you surrender your will, then He will “equip you with everything good for doing His will” (Hebrews 13:21). It’s a promise.
What decisions do you face today: big ones, small ones?
Have you ever seen God guide you toward a particular choice? How do you usually ask for His help?
How full of options are your hands? Could you empty them before the Lord and accept His will—before you sense His direction?
PART 3: AN INSTRUMENT FOR NOBLE PURPOSES
THIRTY FOUR: AN INSTRUMENT FOR NOBLE PURPOSES
". . . made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work" (2 Timothy 2:21).
Ah, to be your instrument, O God,
like Paul to the Gentiles,
like Philip to the eunuch,
like Jesus to the world,
. . . to be your instrument.
To be like a scalpel in the gentle hands of a surgeon,
healing and mending.
To be like a plow in the weathered hands of a farmer,
sowing and tending.
To be like a scythe in the sweeping hands of a reaper,
gathering and using.
To be . . . an instrument for noble purposes.
To be honed and tuned,
in sync with your will,
sensitive to your touch.
This, my God, is my prayer.
Draw me from your fire,
form me on your anvil,
shape me with your hands,
and let me be your tool.
Where is your heart today? Do you desire to be used of God?
What might it take for you to be shaped by God’s hands, in sync with his will?
Think of those images of God: as surgeon, farmer, reaper. Is the Lord showing
you a way to use your gifts to help others?
THIRTY FIVE: TODAY I WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE
1. Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.
2. I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.
I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It’s okay to stumble. . . . I will get up. It’s okay to fail. . . . I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.
3. I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends. Today I will make a difference.
Are you letting petty inconveniences—or not-so-petty circumstances—master you? Or is God your master in all things?
What are you grateful for?
What difference would you like to make in this one day you’re given?
THIRTY SIX: THE TESTED TUNNEL
There is something about a living testimony that gives us courage. Once we see someone else emerging from life’s dark tunnels, we realize that we, too, can overcome.
1. It was left to the Son of God to disclose the true nature of this force. It was on the cross that the showdown occurred. Christ called for satan’s cards. Weary of seeing humanity fooled by a cover-up, He entered the tunnel of death to prove that there was indeed an exit. And as the world darkened, creation held her breath.
2. Christ emerged from death’s tunnel, lifted a triumphant fist toward the sky, and freed all from the fear of death. “Death has been swallowed up in victory!”
Do you fear the tunnel of death? Or, how is death swallowed up in victory in your life? What other dark tunnels do you face? Can you take courage from the testimony of others who have faced similar circumstances?
What about your own testimony? Have you been given, through trial, an ability to cheer on someone else? Are you doing that?
THIRTY SEVEN: THE MOVEMENT THAT WAS DOOMED TO FAIL
1. The movement was doomed to failure. But it didn’t fail. It succeeded. Not only did it succeed but it far surpassed any movement in our world’s history. Within thirty years the message of Jesus Christ had entered every port, city, and courtyard of the world. It was infectious. It was a moving organism. People actually died to see it continue. It should have failed, but it succeeded. And it still succeeds. God’s movement will never stop. It might be slowed, but it will never be stopped.
2. We should fall to our knees in humble gratitude that God has allowed us to participate in such a cause. For this is not the movement of a man. It is the movement of God. That is precisely why what should have failed will never fail. It is the movement of God.
What is this “movement” of God? What do you know about the mission of Jesus Christ on this earth?
What would you say is the central message, the core belief that has held together and defined the Christian movement all these years?
How do you fit in to the movement? Are you an advancer of the cause?
THIRTY EIGHT: COMMUNICATION IS MORE THAN WORDS
1. The true expert on a topic never needs to put others down in order to elevate himself. Nor does he need to employ foreign technical jargon in communicating with the lay public. Such jargon is useful among professionals but is basically useless elsewhere. In religion we have developed our own jargon—words like salvation, sanctification, holiness, and reconciliation. These are words that are invaluable and significant to us, but they do not always communicate to the non-Christian.
One of the paradoxes of communication is that a word must be understandable to both parties before it is acceptable for use. Just because you understand a word or concept doesn’t mean that the person with whom you are speaking does.
2. This is what effective communication is all about. Jesus was a master at never assuming that something was communicated just because it was spoken. He employed endless creativity: illustrations, parables, quizzes, questions, case studies, and so on. Aquinas said long ago, “The poor teacher stands where he is and beckons the pupil come to him. The good teacher goes to where the pupil is, takes him, and leads him to where he ought to go.”
Is it more important to you to be right—or to communicate?
As a Christian, what do you hope to communicate to those in your world?
How do you approach the Great Commission of Jesus: Are you waiting for the pupil to come to you? Is there someone to whom you ought to go?
THIRTY NINE: NONNEGOTIABLE LOVE
The determination and commitment of Ruth are evident in her words: “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried” (Ruth 1:16-17).
1. One relationship of this caliber can buoy us through the fiercest storms. Happy are those who have one companion, one relationship that is not based on looks or performance. Every person is in dire need of at least one faithful friend or a mate who will look them in the eye and say, “I will never leave you. You may grow old and gray, but I’ll never leave you. Your face may wrinkle and your body may ruin, but I’ll never leave you. The years may be cruel and the times may be hard, but I’ll be here. I will never leave you.”
2. Think for a minute about the people in your world. What do they think of your commitment to them? How would you rate your faithfulness? Does your loyalty ever waver? Do you have one person with whom your “contract” is nonnegotiable?
Make the most of your relationships. Follow the advice of Benjamin Franklin: “Be slow in choosing friends and be even slower in leaving them.”
Why is it important for us to be faithful in our various relationships? What model do we have?
Are you a faithful friend? Spouse? Family member?
FORTY: SINGLEHOOD: MISTAKE OR MISSION?
1. Single people. What an enigma! Those unusual creatures without wives or husbands. What do you say to them? How can you carry on a conversation with people who are so deprived and socially amputated? Do you pity them? Encourage them? Ignore them? Our culture is built so much around the home that those without a home are . . . well, they’re kind of like a plane without a hangar (high-flying, but nowhere to go in a storm).
Honestly . . . is bachelorhood really a disease? Are life and meaning found only at the marriage altar? Is there no room at the inn for those who sleep alone? Are they that socially underdeveloped?
2. Jesus suggested that singleness is more than acceptable. In fact, Jesus called it a gift (Matthew 19:12); not for everybody but for a few. A gift that encourages “undivided devotion to the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:35). Perhaps, then, a single Christian should not be regarded as one who is spiritually impotent but as one who is gifted. I was grateful for my “gift” of singleness. Later God chose to replace my gift with a wife. I’m thankful, and I’m still serving him. But, believe it or not, it is possible to be content and come home to an empty apartment.
Being mateless is not nearly as bad as it’s made out to be. In fact, it could be part of a plan.
How do you view the singles in your world?
How can you model Jesus’ attitude toward singles in your encounters with those who are unmarried?
FORTY ONE: THE POISON TONGUE
1. These five ideas will help us control our tongues:
• Never say anything about someone that you wouldn’t say to his face.
• Never say anything about someone unless she is there to respond.
• Refuse to listen to someone else’s gossip.
• Initiate positive statements about people whom you’re discussing.
• Remember, “the tongue . . . is a fire” (James 3:6).
Do you listen to—or contribute to—gossip?
Is it your habit to think and speak well of others?
Does your tongue need taming? What does the Lord desire of you—and how will you seek to obey Him?
FORTY TWO: THE DAY OF THE QUESTION. THE QUESTION!
1. The day of the question. The question. She didn’t know. At least I didn’t tell her. (Turns out, however, that she expected it. She knew it was coming before I did). She said yes. Had I the pen of a magician I couldn’t describe my feelings at that moment. I was overwhelmed. Euphoric. Elated. Yet humbled that one so special could return my love. And grateful—that God would give me such a gift.
Does God have any part in the decisions and questions of your life?
Think about the gifts he’s given you. Are you grateful to God? How can you live in gratitude?
FORTY THREE: FIVE VOTES OF CONFIDENCE
1. Today is a new day. Hence,
• I refuse to be shackled by yesterday’s failures
• What I don’t know will no longer be an intimidation—it will be an opportunity
• I will not allow people to define my mood, method, image, or mission
• I will pursue a mission greater than myself by making at least one person happy they saw me
• I will have no time for self-pity, gossip, or negativism . . . from myself or from others.
What failures are you hanging on to, or even shackled by?
Do you allow people or circumstances to determine your attitudes and actions?
Whose mission do you pursue?
FORTY FOUR: THE WEDDING PRAYER
Create in us a love, O Lord.
An eternal love . . .
Your love.
A love that forgives
any failure,
spans
any distance,
withstands
any tempest.
Create in us a love, O Lord.
A new love.
A fresh love.
A love with the tenderness
of a lamb,
the grandeur
of a mountain,
the strength
of a lion.
And make us one. Intimately one.
As you made a hundred colors into one sunset,
A thousand cedars into one forest,
and countless stars into one galaxy . . .
make our two hearts as
one,
Father, forever . . .
that you may be praised, Father,
forever.
If you are married, or planning to be, consider the prayer above.
Do you share the love of God?
Are you united in Christ?
What can you do today to pursue one united heart?
FORTY FIVE: SARAH
1. A telegram and a birthday card were taped to the dresser mirror. A church group sang hymns down the hall. She had done her best to make the small room look homey, but a person can only do so much. A thousand miles away a family played.
2. Our society has little room for the aged. People like Sarah come in scores. No one intentionally forgets them. Maybe that’s why it is so painful. If there were a reason: a fight, a mistake, a dispute . . . But usually it’s unintentional. Unintentional rejection. It will kill Sarah; she’ll die of loneliness. It doesn’t matter how nice the convalescent home is; nurses and old folks don’t replace a grandbaby’s smile or a son’s kiss.
Spend all your love on her now.
Forget not the hands, though spotted,
The hair, though thinning,
The eyes, though dim.
For they are a part of you.
And when they are gone, a part of you is gone.
Is there a convalescent in your acquaintance who needs your care today? What can you commit to doing on his or her behalf?
Who else is a part of you—your church body, your community, your workplace—who might need some kind of care, whether physical or emotional? What can you do to spend love on them?
Why should we care for the sick and aged and lonely? What does Jesus say about them?
FORTY SIX: THE SONAR FISH FINDER
1. You see, it never really matters if you catch any fish. Oh, sure, that’s what everyone asks you: “What did you catch?” But the beauty of fishing is not in the catch—it’s in the experience. And a sonar fish finder? Well, it almost seems irreverent. It’s like a do-it-yourself wedding or computerized dating. It’s like electronic pitchers (dads are supposed to do that, too!) or those false logs you put in a fireplace. Fishing is one of those sacred times that must not be violated and cannot be duplicated.
What is your sacred time? Afternoon walks with your friend? Early morning coffee with your wife? Long drives with your son? An afternoon at the beach with your daughter?
2. Maybe I’m making too big a deal about the fish finder. The point is this: People are priceless. We should never allow a gadget to interfere with the precious simplicity of waiting for the fish to bite. If my father and I had bought a sonar fish finder, we’d have caught more fish, but countless precious conversations would have never existed.
Think about the special times in your life. Are you making time for them? Are you making time for the people in your life?
Whom do you value highly? Do they know it? Is it evident in the time you spend together?
Are any shortcuts, like the fish finder, cutting short the real experiences of your life?
FORTY SEVEN: TRIUMPHANT... FOREVER!
1. Triumph is a precious thing. We honor the triumphant. Triumph brings with it a swell of purpose and meaning. When I’m triumphant, I’m worthy. When I’m triumphant, I count. When I’m triumphant, I’m significant.
2. Triumph is fleeting, though. Hardly does one taste victory before it is gone. Achieved, yet now history. No one remains champion forever. Time for yet another conquest, another victory. Perhaps this is the absurdity of Paul’s claim: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
The triumph of Christ is not temporary. “Triumphant in Christ” is not an event or an occasion. It’s not fleeting. To be triumphant in Christ is a lifestyle. . . a state of being! To triumph in Christ is not something we do, it’s something we are.
3. Here is the big difference between victory in Christ and victory in the world: A victor in the world rejoices over something he did—swimming the English Channel, climbing Everest, making a million. But the believer rejoices over who he is—a child of God, a forgiven sinner, an heir of eternity. As the hymn goes, “Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of his Spirit, washed in His blood.”
4. Nothing can separate us from our triumph in Christ. Nothing! Our triumph is based not upon our feelings but upon God’s gift. Our triumph is based not upon our perfection but upon God’s forgiveness. How precious is this triumph! For even though we are pressed on every side, the victory is still ours. Nothing can alter the loyalty of God.
“It is better to be alone with God. His friendship will not fail me, nor His counsel, nor His love. In His strength I will dare and dare and dare until I die” (Joan of Arc).
“Triumphant in Christ.” It is not something we do. It’s something we are.
Where do you find your significance? In your triumphs, or in Christ’s?
What do you think it means to live in the triumphant lifestyle of Christ?
Do you know who you are in Christ? What implications does that have for the specific situations of your life: your relationships, your work, your leisure time, your daily reflections and worship?
FORTY EIGHT: THE MAKINGS OF A MOVEMENT
1. Each of us should lead a life stirring enough to start a movement. We should yearn to change the world. We should love unquenchably, dream unfalteringly, and work unceasingly. We should close our ears to the manifold voices of compromise and perch ourselves on the branch of truth. We should champion the value of people, proclaim the forgiveness of God, and claim the promise of heaven. And we should lead a life stirring enough to cause a movement.
2. Will we see a movement occur? Perhaps, and perhaps not. Movements never run their course in one generation. The great revivals and reformations that dot the history of humanity were never the work of just one person. Every movement is the sum of visionaries who have gone before, generations of uncompromised lives and nonnegotiated truths. Faithful men who have led forceful lives.
3. A movement comes of age when one life harvests the seeds planted by countless lives in previous generations. A movement occurs when one person, no greater or lesser than those who have gone before, lives a forceful life in the fullness of time.
4. Let’s live lives stirring and forceful enough to cause a movement. A true mark of the visionary is his willingness to lay down his life for those whom he’ll never see. Will that movement come in our generation? I hope so. But even if it doesn’t, even if we never see it, it will occur. And we’ll be a part of it.
What does the idea of a movement mean to you?
Is your life “stirring enough to cause a movement”? What kind of movement would that be?
How does God want you to live? What kind of choices must you make today in order to live as a follower of the ultimate Mover?
CONCLUSION: EMERGING FROM THE ANVIL
FORTY NINE: OFF THE ANVIL
1. When I learned that Daddy had a terminal disease, I wrote him, volunteering to change my plans and stay near him. He immediately wrote back, saying, “Don’t be concerned about me. I have no fear of death or eternity; just go . . . please Him.” My father’s life is an example of a heart melted in the fire of God, formed on His anvil, and used in His vineyard. He knew, and knows, what his life was for. In a society of question and confusion, his was one life that had a definition.
2. Time on God’s anvil should do that for us: It should clarify our mission and define our purpose. When a tool emerges from a blacksmith’s anvil, there is no question as to what it is for. There is no question as to why it was made. One look at the tool and you instantly know its function. You pick up a hammer and you know that it was made to hit nails. You pick up a saw and you know that it was made to cut wood. You see a screwdriver and you know that it is for tightening screws.
3. As a human being emerges from the anvil of God, the same should be true. Being tested by God reminds us that our function and task is to be about His business, that our purpose is to be an extension of His nature, an ambassador of His throne room, and a proclaimer of His message. We should exit the shop with no question as to why God made us. We know our purpose.
In a world of confused identity, in a world of wavering commitments and foggy futures, let us be firm in our role. Society is in dire need of a quorum of people whose task is clear and whose determination is unquenchable.
4. God has not hidden His will from His people. Our Master does not play games with us. We know who we are. We know what we are for. There may be a question now and then about how and with whom we should carry out His mission. But the underlying truth is still the same: We are God’s people, and we are to be about His business.
5. If we live our lives in this way, then we can, like my father, enter into our final years with the assurance of knowing that life was well spent and that heaven is but a wink away. And is there any greater reward than this?
Do you know your purpose, what you were made for? Whose business are you about: your own, or God’s?
It’s possible for even a longtime believer to live without a sense of purpose. Have you asked God to use your life for His service?
How do you think about eternity? Do you have any fear of death or the afterlife?
Do you look forward to eternity with God?
MAX LUCADO
ON THE ANVIL
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