Nobody plans to waste their life… but for far too many people this is the unfortunate reality. They wake up one day wondering where life has gone. They may have wasted most of their life on nefarious activities like drug and crime or they may have squandered life on relatively good things like an unhealthy focus on fame and fortune. The truth is even good things become bad things when they keep us from the best things. If we are not intentional, we will spend all of our time just surviving while God wants us to be thriving! Life is so much more than just drawing our next breath and drawing our next paycheck. I hope this blog post encourages you to begin the journey with Jesus to “Find Your Why”!
The 3 most important days of your life are:
#1- The day you were born.
Grandpa’s 100th birthday party was not a huge success. The family wheeled him in his chair out onto the lawn for a picnic. When he slowly started to lean to the right, his daughter stuffed a pillow on his right side to prop him up. A bit later, he started leaning to the left. His son straightened him up and stuffed a pillow on his left side. Soon he started tilting forward. This time his other son caught him and tied a pillow around his waist. A few minutes later, his grandson arrived. He said, “Hey, Grandpa! How’s life treating you?” “Terrible,” he said. “They won’t let me fart.”
Did you know that it is scientifically proven that people who have more birthdays live longer!
We all share one thing in common, we had a day we were born into this world (unless you are an alien of course). You may have been a surprise to your parents, but you were not a surprise to God. There are no such things as illegitimate children there are only illegitimate parents… God knew you, planned you, and loved you before the foundation of time!
Psalm 139:13 For You formed my inward parts; You [a]covered me in my mother’s womb.
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified[a] you;
Ephesians 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
But we will not all share the same quantity or quality of years of life. The Bible is clear that life is fleeting and fragile. We are all charged by God to make sure we don’t waste our life but invest it into things that really matter. Our life is truly a gift from God and what we do with it is our gift back to Him! Our biggest concern should not be the length but the depth of our life.
Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
James 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
Ephesians 5:15-16 See then that you walk [a]circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Pause and Ponder- Are you spending your life or are you investing it? Why do you give your answer?
#2- The day you were born again.
If you are born once you will die twice but if you are born twice, you will only die once. The Bible speaks about 2 deaths. The first is physical death and the second is spiritual death. Physical death is when the soul and spirit depart from the physical body while spiritual death is when the soul and spirit depart from the presence of God. We will also face physical death (if the Lord tarries His Second Coming) but we don’t have face spiritual death. We can have spiritual and eternal life through a personal saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in [a]hell.
Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, [a]unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Nobody is saved because they were born into a good family, or grew up in church, or have tried to be a good person. You can only be saved if you are born again. If you have repented of your sin and placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Nobody else can do this for you, this is a personal faith response you must make for yourself.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born [a]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
1 Peter 1:23 having been born again, not of [a]corruptible seed but [b]incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides [c]forever,
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
I was born in 1978 in Florida but grew up on the sunny state of West Virginia. But I was born again in the Fall of 1999 just after I finished classes at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia and just before moving to Lexington, Kentucky to begin my Law Enforcement career. I have been loving, serving, and following Jesus ever since! Not perfectly but progressively…. My heart has been forever turned to Him!
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Pause to Ponder- Has there been a time in which you were born again? Have you been saved? If not, are you ready to trust Jesus today?
If you would like to know more about salvation, please follow this link:
Understanding-Salvation.pdf (missionchurchlex.org)
If you have trust Christ today, please let me know at pastor@missionchurchlex.org
I would love to pray with you and send you some discipleship materials to help you grow spiritually.
#3- The day you discovered why.
Your birth and your rebirth are no accident in God’s sovereign plan and providential purpose. God wants you to “Find Your Why” and to live on mission for him. God truly loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life… but the opposite is also true… the Devil hates you and has a terrible plan for your life. Therefore, you must be intentional and disciplined to live courageously and obediently for God while seeking to know and obey His Word and His Will.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Pause to Ponder- Have you found your life purpose? What do you believe God’s plan is for you right now and in the future?
At the Mission Church of Lexington, we teach that every person has a God given purpose. The general purpose for all people is to “know God and to make Him known through worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism”. But God also has a special plan for you that is as unique to you as your fingerprints. He has created you with a very special S.H.A.P.E. (Spiritual Gifts, Hearts, Abilities, Personality, and Experience) to live for the glory of God and the good of others. The Mission Church of Lexington exists you help you to discover, develop, and deploy your purpose for the Kingdom of God.
If this blog post has grabbed your curiosity and you would like to know more, please pursue any/all of the below options:
1- Contact me at pastor@missionchurchlex.org
2- Check out our church website Misisonchurchlex.org
3- Visit us for Community Celebration and Worship every Sunday at 9am and 11am (Facebook livestreaming available at 9am) and Mission Groups each Wednesday at 630pm. We are located at 3288 Beaver Creek Drive Lexington KY 40515.
4- Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missionchurch.lex
5- Continue to read this weekly blog- “Find your Why with Pastor D”