Does your life count? I mean really count? When that day comes when you meet your Maker, what are people going to say at your funeral? I’m now at the middle point of the average lifespan for an Australian male. And it makes you think about what your legacy would be if you died soon. “There’s less days in front of the horse than riding in the back of this cart” sang John Mellencamp back when I didn’t think about such matters so much.
Now, just because I’m at the mid-point of the average Australian male’s lifespan doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to make it. Martin Luther King said – perhaps prophetically – the night before he died, that “Like everyone I would like to live a long life; longevity has its place. But I’m not worrying about that now…I just wanna do God’s will”.
When it comes to our time, remember that God is not going to say, “so did you get those projects finished?”; he’s not going to say, “Did you get to the top of the social ladder?”, or “Did you ever get those renovations to your house finished?”. No, he’s going to say, “How did you love? What did you do for the least of these my brethren?”.
Many years ago I heard a preacher say that when we’ve reached our final day, the first thing we’re going to say is, “I wish I’d taken more risks”. To take risks means stepping out of our comfort zones. What are some of your comfort zones? I know for me they are job security, enough money to live comfortably, internet access, and the support of friends. How willing would I be to give any of these up? When it really boils down to it, I have to admit that I find myself quite unwilling to let these things go.
If we are honest with ourselves, for the vast majority of us, our comfort zones have everything to do with our lifestyles. Yet when I thin iof my confrot zones I cannot get away from the call of Jesus to deny myself, take up my cross and follow. God give me courage to heed that call.
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