Showing posts with label vapour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vapour. Show all posts

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Don't Waste Your Life!


My beau & I have spent the last several days answering some questions concerning our courtship. Questions about our faith, doctrine/ theology, experience, values, preferences, expectations, convictions, traditions, strengths, weaknesses, habits, interests, talents/ gifts, personalities, standards, behaviors etc as we get to know each other better & pursue the possibility of marriage.

 [Once we're finished answering them, we're going to discuss them with our parents] And believe me, there are some hard questions in there! Some that made me drop my jaw & say, "WOW. Did they really just ask that??" [For a complete list of the questions, click here]

Anyway, one of the sections was about values, goals, dreams, plans etc. Some of the questions in that section were as follows:

1. What do you value most highly in life? Second?
2. What is your "life purpose"?

3. How you intend to use your interests, experiences, skills, and talents to serve and glorify God?)
4. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 20 years?
5. How would those who know you well describe your personal character?


These made me stop & think- Why am I on this earth? What has God sent me here to accomplish? What am I to do with the time He has given me? What are my goals, aspirations, dreams, "plans" etc?

Then I got to the next question-
 
 "When the Lord calls you home, how
would you like people to remember you?"
 

 WOW. That really made me stop & think. It's one thing to talk about your goals, dreams, plans, aspirations etc when you're in your early twenties. It's quite another to think about your death- How you want to be remembered, what you want to be known for, what you want to accomplish in your lifetime etc. I really had to think about that one...

So... Some questions for you-

What do you want to be remembered for most?
What do you want your eulogy to be?
What do you want to accomplish in your lifetime?
What do you want to be "known for"?
What is your Calling?
What is your life's Purpose?
Why are you here on this earth?
What are your goals, aspirations, dreams, desires?
What has God pre-ordained you to do while you are on this earth?


I am not trying to be morbid or dark here. Just something to think about. It is never too early to address these sorts of "heavy" topics. We do not know when our time will come or when the Lord might return (Matthew 24:36-44). Life is "but a vapor..." (James 4:13-17).[For more on this topic, read here & here].


 I think we should be "known for what we do," more than for what we don't do. I don't think it's good enough to be known for being the "good girl," for not "doing bad things." Our standards should be way higher than that. Instead of being known as the one who simply "didn't do bad things," we should strive for a higher standard- being known for the good, right, honourable, righteous, God-honoring things that we do. [For more on this topic, read here]



Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Life Is But a Vapour

"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this city or that city, spend a year there, carry on business & make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are but a vapour that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's Will, we will live & do this or that." - James 4:13-15

Therefore, if our life IS a short as this verse says (in the grand scheme of things), we should, "be very careful, then, how you live--- not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time, for the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's Will is... Be filled with the Spirit..., always giving thanks to the Father God for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." - Ephesians 5:16-20

We do not know the day nor the hour, both of our Lord's return (Matthew 24:36-44) nor of our own deaths (James 4:13-15). The times are uncertain. Apart from Christ there is no hope. But we, the believers, are unafraid & unshaken. Our hope is sure. We walk by faith (Hebrews 11:1, 2 Corinthians 5:7).

This is not a call to despair or melancholy. We must live intentionally, expectantly awaiting His return, making the most of the time that has been given to us (Luke 12:48b, Matthew 25:14-46, Matthew 28:19-20). We have been entrusted with the Light. We no long walk in Darkness (Ephesians 5:8-14). It is our job to shine that Light into a Dark world (Acts 13:47, Matthew 5:14-16).

Only what's done for Christ will last. Don't waste your life. Make the most of every moment. Love the unloveable. Cherish the old. Nurture the young. Take your time. Look for "small" miracles. Thank God every day. Say "I love you." Be forgiven. Rest in God's loving mercy. In the end, this is what REALLY matters.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes on what is unseen, not on what is seen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

"I will Walk by Faith/ Even when I cannot see/ Because this Broken Road/ Prepares Your Will for me" - Jeremy Camp ("Walk by Faith")