A Life Well Lived

Each of us has a story. The story is our life. In a sense, each of us has been given a life sentence. From the moment we are born to the day that we die has already been determined and ordained by God. People do all sorts of things in order to live longer and look better, from eating healthy to exercise, from going to bed early and taking daily vitamins. Even modern medicine and technology is enhancing our lives and extending them way beyond that of previous generations. Yet, no matter how hard we try, we cannot exceed the limits that God has imposed nor can we put off the inevitable, that one day we shall die. At a funeral service I heard someone read a poem. I think it was entitled, “The Dash.” The birthday and death day are recorded, but it is the dash that is in between the two dates that counts. The dash, short and small in font size, yet it represents the whole of a life once lived. A life that was either lived well or not so well. What we do with our lives matters. The Bible says that if we strive to keep our lives intact according to the way that we wish, that we will lose it. However, if we are willing to give it up for God that we will find it. Each choice impacts us greatly. One leads to despair and the other to a discovery of an abundant life worth living. God knows the needs we have. He has reached out to us in love, providing us acceptance, joy and peace, in order to make our dash…our life…our story meaningful. Some become mistaken thinking that in yielding our lives to God that somehow God will protect us and keep us from all harm or evil. However, Jesus promised that we would have tribulation, not the absence of it. Instead, Jesus said to keep our focus on Him, for He has overcome the world. Too often we focus on what we think we need, whether it is circumstances going our way or longing for the feeling of comfort and security. This leads us to mourn our losses rather than rejoicing in the gain that is ours in Christ Jesus. Instead of counting losses, try counting your blessings, for blessings certainly outnumber our losses. In gratitude, we accept the victory that is ours through faith in the Lord Jesus. By faith we look forward to the day when God will make all things right, our hope will be realized and our faith will be sight. Until that day, live the dash for His glory and it will be a life well lived. Blessings, Pastor Pete

From the moment we are born to the day that we die, we are on an adventure called life. In the movie "Forest Gump", Tom Hanks portrayed Forest who said, "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Maybe that is what makes life an adventure. There are lots of surprises, from being in the right place at the right time or being rewarded for hard work or finding new friends or falling in love or discovering a new hobby. I suppose each of us has expectations of what life should bring. We want each piece to be our favorite flavor. However, life isn’t like that. Sometimes life dishes out pieces that go well beyond our expectations and at other times falls far short. Sometimes we work hard at making a living in order to ensure each piece in our box of life is just how we want it. Work takes precedence, often overshadowing family, friends and God. Somewhere along the way the least important becomes the most important, and with priorities upside down we struggle for meaning while striving to make a living. If this is true, we must ask ourselves, "What do we want? To make a living or make a life?" Jesus offers us something better. He said in John 10.10 “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” This isn’t offering a sequel that should never have been made nor is it a "make over"- same you but with an improved image. Instead, God is offering something new and refreshing. The Bible says, “If we are in Christ we are a new creation. All things are new” (2 Corinthians 5.17). By faith we grab hold of God who is able to truly make our life new with new meaning and purpose. Consider Ephesians 2.10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Discovering the purpose filled life that Jesus offers fulfills the unmet longing of each of our hearts. By accepting God’s life and purpose for our own, we discover a satisfying fullness that nothing else can come close to, and in the process points others to the One who is the Life. If you want to be miserable, try living the new life in your own effort or embrace Jesus yet continue to live in your own way. It doesn’t work and you’ll never be happy until you settle the issue once and for all. Either we are His by faith and yield to His purpose for us, or we go it alone and try to fill our life with good things but not the best things. In the end, our way will never lead to the fullness of life that Jesus spoke of and we’ll be disappointed with each piece of chocolate…I mean life. If we exhale all of the things we thought so dear and breathe in the life God, we allow God to fill us with His life, a life full of satisfaction and meaning that we never dreamed possible. We may never know what the box of life will bring, but we do know that God is a God of surprises and whatever may come, we know that He will be with us. Prayer: Lord, breathe Your life into mine and make my life into what You want it to be- full and abundant, fulfilling Your holy purpose in me that others may see and glorify You.