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The important things in life are those things that last longer than you do! Whether it be athletics, science or social involvement, the things that really count live for generations to come.
How ironic then that most of us spend our time and energy on today. There is always one more toy to buy; one more book to write; one more deal to close; one more obstacle to conquer.
Regardless of the motive behind the action, reality is, few of us will accomplish something great on a global scale. Even if we do, as we’ve seen in recent days, there is nothing that guarantees our accomplishments of today won’t be snuffed out in later generations because something we did or said will be scrutinized and attacked.
Jesus said to strive for the eternal. Paul states it plainly. Everything you do will be tested by fire. Work then for things that will last.
The noble deeds of many are long forgotten, but the things Jesus did have been remembered for centuries. Why? Because his efforts were not to bring a better name to himself, they were to better the lives of mankind. 100 years from now people won’t remember how many toys you had or how many likes you had on some social media post. What they may remember, however, is how you made life better for others.
Build for tomorrow, not for today. Don’t be content to stay where you are. Move forward!
I’ve often looked at this verse from 2 Corinthians and focused on the beautiful promise of the first half of the verse. NEW creations! Not refurbished. Not remodeled. Not modified. NEW! That’s grace! My loving Heavenly Father took this worthless pile of flesh and made something new. And, might I add, God don’t make no junk!
Then one day, rather somberly, I spent some time on the rest of the story.
“The old life is gone…”
Is it? The question haunted me. Yes, I’m forgiven. The debt of my sin is eternally washed away. On the inside I’m new, but this battle raging inside me continues on. Some days I’m strong and watch the enemy retreat. Some days he wins the battle.
Jesus’ invitation to follow him is no party. Instead of balloons there is hardship; instead of cake, temptation; the ice cream is replaced by worry. That’s when I’m also reminded I was never called to walk this road alone. My strength was never a factor, only my reliance on him.
Paul had a similar struggle he tells about in Romans. He loses with the reminder that only the grace of Jesus will rescue me from the battle. Some days I lose the battle. Some days I win. But in the end the war is won because of the empty tomb!
Father help me to live worthy of this new body. Give me a Holy Spirit power to leave the old behind and dwell in the new!
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14
It amazes me how many times the challenge to be patient and have courage occurs in the Bible. It’s almost like our Heavenly Father is trying to tell us something!
When you think about it, the two go hand in hand. When we are impatient we tend to react instead of act. We lash out verbally. We take action without seeing all the possibilities or ramifications of our actions. We take unnecessary actions and later need to suffer the consequences. Think about it. It was one act of impatience the forced Moses to flee into the wilderness after his outburst of anger killed an Egyptian. It was one act of anger (impatience) that led him to strike the rock rather than speak to it as God commanded him. One forced him into the wilderness, the other forced him to stay in the wilderness.
While impatience can be thought of as acting too quickly, fear keeps us from acting at all. God often seems to link patience and courage together for a reason. One (patience) allows us time to listen to him. The other (courage) requires action! We don’t serve a stagnant God. He doesn’t change in character but if you’ve ever noticed a sunset you realize he rarely does things the same and always does them with excellence.
Courage is waiting for God’s timing and moving forward as he moves us.
Patience and courage. One gives us time to seek God’s wisdom, the other moves us forward with his blessing.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 