Making every day count

In recent times, I have spent a lot of time with a dear friend who battled prostate cancer for 5 years. He went home to his eternal destination last week leaving a beautiful wife and 3 sons. He was only 57 years old.

This experience has impressed upon me the fleeting nature of our life here on earth (none of us know when our time is up), and the importance of making every day count. I’ve asked myself this question. What, of lasting value have I contributed to make the world a better place? What will be my legacy to those left behind?

I BELIEVE LOVE IS THE GREATEST DEPOSIT WE CAN LEAVE ON THIS JOURNEY CALLED LIFE HERE ON EARTH. Love – the unselfish ‘God kind of love’ spoken of in 1 Corinthians 13 (often quoted at weddings), reads as follows from the New Living Translation. ‘If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn’t love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal. If I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would I be? If I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody. If I gave everything to the poor and even sacrificed my body that I could boast about it: but didn’t love others, I would be of no value whatsoever. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand it’s own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever. ….There are three things that will endure faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love’.

God’s love is not a matter of merely ‘being nice’. It is a character quality, birthed by God that comes from deep within and touches the lives of those around us with a sense of hope, well-being and acceptance. IT IS UNCONDITIONAL, IT LOVES INSPITE OF. Love is a smile, a kind word, a gentle touch of comfort or words of encouragement spoken. Sometimes love is simply a listening ear.

As we take time to ponder how we could more effectively express love, I pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal many ways of loving those around us.

LOVE, (THIS UNCONDITIONAL GOD KIND OF LOVE), IS A CHOICE NOT A FEELING – AN ACT OF THE WILL IN THE MIDST OF CHALLENGING CIRCUMSTANCES. Sometimes love is sacrificial. Luke 6:27 states, ‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you’. The biblical meaning of ‘bless’ is ‘to speak well of, praise, extol, bless abundantly, give thanks for. What an impossible command you might say. Friend, this is how we come to experience personally the all powerful reality of Almighty God, when something seems impossible for me to accomplish in my own mere mortal strength and I CALL UPON HIM TO HELP ME!!! An incredible release overwhelms us at that point as we obey God’s Word.

John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than to lay down ones life for his friends”. Our Anzacs, from whom many of us are descendants, exhibited this kind selfless, sacrificial love.

LOVE IS PRACTICAL – IT LENDS A HAND WHERE IT SEES A NEED.

Love is a ‘fruit of the Holy Spirit of God’ spoken of in Galatians 5:22. ‘Fruit’ being ‘evidence’ of God’s Spirit living inside of us.

As we look at global and national events that seem out of control, it is easy to become anxious about the future. BUT IF WE WILL LOOK TO GOD WITH CHILDLIKE TRUST AND DEPENDENCE, WE WILL NOT BE AFRAID OR DISMAYED. GOD WLL LEAD US THROUGH as we READ HIS WORD, INQUIRE OF HIM, (what do I do here Lord)? If we humble ourselves and pray WE CAN TRUST THAT ‘HE WILL PERFECT THAT WHICH CONCERNS US’.

What’s concerning you today? Pour your heart out to Him, tell Him all about it, then calmly and courageously wait for the answers to come. TRULY BELIEVE that ‘His ways are higher than our ways’, that He is an ‘OMNISCIENT’ (all knowing), loving God Who truly cares about YOU.

I passionately believe we are about to see an unprecedented ‘turning back’ to God in our Nation – to a pure, practical simple faith, (not to powerless, man made religious practices), but a GENUINE FAITH that is heart to heart with our Heavenly Father through His Son Jesus Christ.

May the truth of the words on this page impact your heart today!