Tag: meaning of life

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The Life You’re Meant to Live

“21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

I think if St. Paul had heard Bobby McFerrin’s song “Don’t Worry”, he would have included those lyrics in the Book of Philippians. Can’t you just heart it… “Don’t worry, be happy”! I often meet Christian people who are so caught up in their cares and problems they don’t really enjoy life. I must confess…I’ve been there too. When that happens, we need to be reminded of Paul’s words – “To live is Christ”.

As followers of Jesus, we need to follow Him in all our being, not just in belief. Our faith should make all the difference in how we approach this life. Paul is saying that to live in this world is to live as Christ would live in it. That doesn’t mean we never have cares and concerns, Jesus had many. Remember His agony in the garden? And, how about all those long nights spent in prayer instead of sleeping? It means we don’t let our cares steal our joy.

“To live is Christ” means we live with an eternal optimism that no matter what happens to us in this world, we will make it through. The power of the resurrection is the power of His Spirit within us to overcome all obstacles. And, even if we die trying, guess what… “to die is gain”!

Sometimes we fail to live with the assurance that death isn’t the end of life, it’s the beginning. Only in death will we fully realize the power of the resurrection, when God raises up even our physical bodies from the grave to life eternal. When we leave this world behind, we also leave time behind. It will seem as if in the twinkling of an eye we’ll all be together again in the resurrection on the last day, until then remember, Christ is risen…and so are you!

Grace & Peace,

+Pastor Brad

 

Prayer

Lord Jesus, restore to me the joy of my salvation. Help me to see you and your victory in all I face in this world, until at last I am victorious with you in Heaven. Amen. Alleluia!

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Raised from the Ashes: Lent – Day 23

 “6 Now these things are warnings for us, not to desire evil as they did.”

1 Cor. 10:6

Read 1 Cor. 10:1-13

Lent 2016 Daily Devotions-4

The Desires of the Heart

It is said that in tough times our true character is revealed. What we really desire in our hearts is what we really lean toward in difficult times. St. Paul reminded the Corinthians about the many ways the Israelites failed God after He delivered them from slavery. You would think being miraculously delivered from generations of bondage would give rise to a strong faith; a faith that wouldn’t backslide the minute things got tough. Not so with the Israelites, and sadly, not so with many peoples ever since. History has a sad way of repeating itself.

What about the desires of your heart? How often do you think about them? Many people get caught up in just existing from day to day. Pretty soon months turn into years and they haven’t thought about what they really desire for a very long time. All they can do is exist. If we don’t take time to fully admit to ourselves our true desires, and stay connected to them, we will drift through life without real purpose.

The Purpose of Life

The real purpose of the lives of humans hasn’t changed since we were created. We exist to glorify God through the way we live and love God, others, and His creation. But, that purpose must be passed on from one generation to the next. We aren’t born with a sense of that purpose. It is the role of godly parents and friends to teach us our purpose in life. And, the vehicle God chose through which to teach us is His church. It is as a community of people, called together with a common purpose to we discover who we are, and where we are going in this journey called life.

If we don’t know our true purpose in life, our desires will be shaped by the worldly influences around us. We see this lived out over and over again in the lives of the children of Israel. That is one of the many reasons the ancient church developed the season of Lent. Lent offers us a time for reflecting on who we are, and where we are going. In our times of prayer and fasting, our true desires are revealed. We must always concentrate on growing our desires after God’s heart.

Are You Repeating History?

The Apostle Paul knew the Corinthian people were going to drift back into their worldly culture, unless they had an anchor on which to hold. Knowing the history of God’s people, and the lessons learned were critical to spiritual formation of the Corinthians, and are still critical for us. History will repeat itself, if we don’t learn it’s lessons.

Perhaps, you have found yourself this Lent feeling burned from repeating past mistakes? As you take some time for meditation and prayer this season, look deep inside and discern your true desires in life. Think of it as a sort of spiritual checkup. If you don’t like what you see, remember, our God always promises to raise us from the ashes.

Grace & Peace for a Holy Lent,

Pastor Brad

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

Matthew 5:6