I will Live Fully, Act Purposefully and Serve God Wholeheartedly
In 1 Kings 19, Elijah cried before the Lord because ministry had been hard, he was lonely and on the verge of giving up.
Think about it this way, what if this was the only month we had to serve God and function as a church? What if ICC Nairobi will be no more after November 2014 and you will be dead at the end of this month? What would this church do differently? What would you do differently? how would you live your life for the next two weeks or so?
Well, the truth is that we are all going to die, and the fact is that we neither know the time, nor the manner or place at which we will die. All we know is that death awaits us at some point in life.
Scripture Reference
- Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
- Psalm 89:47 Remember how short my time is! For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
- 1 Peter 1:24 For “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,
- Psalm 102:11 My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass.
- Psalm 102:3 For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace.
- 2 Samuel 14:14 We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again.
- Psalm 78:39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.
- 1 Chronicles 29:15 For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.
- Isaiah 40:6 A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
- Psalm 144:4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.
- Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
- Psalm 39:4-5 “LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to You; at best, each of us is but a breath.”
Our life here is very brief; sometimes however, we forget this and live as though we are entitled to live for a very long time. We are mist that appears for a little while, then vanishes; like an evening shadow that disappears with the setting of the sun. Life is too short!
There are three key turning points according to James 4:13-17: “”Now listen, you who say today or tomorrow we’ll go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money like you don’t even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? The scripture says you are a what, “you are a mist that appears for a little while and then what happens, and then vanishes”. You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes instead, you ought to say, if this is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that. As it is, you boast and brag all such boasting is what, it’s evil. Verse 17, let God’s Word speak to you. Anyone then who knows the what, anyone who knows the good that he ought to do and what, doesn’t do it sins. Anyone who knows the good that God puts in front of him or her and doesn’t do it sins. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Because life is brief, the width of a hand, there should be three turnarounds that I pray the Spirit of God will speak to you today.
The three things that we must note are summarized in the words: LIVE, ACT, SERVE.
1. We have one day to live, let us live fully
Many times we live as though we will live forever, we assume we have all the time, all the time to serve the Lord or pray or worship or be with our children for those of you who are parents. We assume we will have the time tomorrow to go on that mission or give that money. In essence, we put on a mask, cover our eyes from reality and live in the lie of tomorrow will come, even though it might never come.
One of these days, I assume, I will have money for that trip, that mission, one of this coming days I will witness for Christ, one of these days I will invest, one of these days I will reconcile with my friend or parent, one of these days I will go for Care Group or host a Care Group, one of these coming days I will pray and fast. One of these coming days we will do a major outreach. One of these days, we will reach out to the Somali or the Watta or the Borana. Are you getting the drift here? That is how we tend to live life, we live for “one of these days”. We are going to stop those one of these days business and start living each day to please God and honor Him all of the time.
This is the day that the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
2. We have one day to act, let us act purposefully
The Second thought: we are going to turn stop wanting and take action.
Instead, we’re going to ask God to turn our intentions into actions. Do you have some great intentions and plans that you have not got round to working out? James 4:17 tells us that anyone then who knows the good that he ought to do and doesn’t do it, what do they do? The scripture says that they are in sin. What are the good intentions that God wants you to do but you’ve not yet done? Think about it then get to work!
Be obedient to what God calls you to do. Never let the good go undone. Do it now. Today. Before the sun goes down. Proverbs 3:27 says, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor come back later, I’ll give it to you tomorrow when you have it with you.”
Do it now.
3. We have one Lord to serve, let us serve Him wholeheartedly
We need to decide and declare that we are going to grow in our walk with God and be the people God wants us to be. We are going to turn our hearts toward Jesus. The problem is that too many people are giving only a portion of their lives to Christ. We turn up every Sunday for a shot of God’s word and worship experience, then go on living contrary to everything we learn from God.
Life is brief. Do not wait for another moment to do what God requires of you. Do not postpone enjoying your relationship with Him to the full. Live now, Love God and be fulfilled.
As we reflect of what God is telling us, may His Spirit speak to us and guide as in our everyday walk with Him.
Christ’s miracle of feeding the five thousand is unique in that it is the only one that all four gospel writers mention (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke; John 6:1-14). It illustrates Jesus’ authority over nature and His divine intervention on behalf of others, showing that He is concerned about both humans’ physical and spiritual needs.
International Christian Center 