IT IS FINISHED For I am already being poured out, and the last drops of this drink offering are all that remain; it’s almost time for me to leave. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have stayed on course and finished the race, and through it all, I have kept believing. 8 I look forward to what’s in store for me: a crown of righteousness that the Lord—the always right and just judge—will give me that day (but it is not only for me, but for all those who love and long for His appearing). 2 Tim 4:7-8 (VOICE) The Christian life is a walk from here to there. It is clearly depicted in the journeys of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. Egypt represents our life here on earth. It is a strange country, the culture is strange, the food is strange and they worship things we don’t know. We are here but we are not a part of it. Our focus is there. “There” is heaven. That is where our citizenship is. That is the Promised Land. Our walk from here to there is often attended with many dangers. Loved ones die long before we are ready to let them go. Our hearts are often broken, our dreams are often aborted, and our limbs get weary. Some lose focus and do not make it there. Some are distracted, some are deceived and for some it is plain stubbornness. It is a hard journey and I pray that you will be among those who make it there finally. There are two key dangers on this journey: The first is the danger of being so focused on the things that are here that we forget that our stay is temporary and whatever we have here cannot be transferred to heaven where we are headed. The second danger is the opposite of this. To be so focused on getting to heaven that we forget to enjoy the journey on earth and indeed do not make any mark here. One of the saddest scenes we will see in heaven is when you see the full scope of what you were supposed to do on earth, the weight of glory you were bestowed with and how little you actually lived. You will see men who could have owned mansions living in other people’s boy’s quarters as if they were servants. Of course they will be glad that they made it to heaven but they will be sad that they have no crowns, no stars, nothing! Then God will show them the large church they were supposed to build, or the books they were supposed to write, or the orphanage they were mandated to run, or the school that was theirs or the missionaries they were supposed to sponsor or the businesses they were supposed to build. They will begin to regret. They made it to heaven, but it could have been a better experience on earth. Christianity is not designed for only the Enoch Adegboye’s and David Oyedepo’s and Chris Oyakhilome’s to make impact. We are all given a significant thing to do for the kingdom of God here on earth. How do you go about fulfilling yours? In our passage today Paul says, if his life were a drink offering, then every single drop has been poured out. He stayed on the course. He knew what he was called to do and he believed up to the end, even when it wasn’t worth believing. This must be our goal. This must be our vision. There is no pain that will make us go back. Since we are sure that we must all die someday, then the fear of death itself is not strong enough to make us abandon our mission on earth. Heaven sent you here with a specific purpose. Our “There” is assured. Jesus gave us the promise in John 15. But we need to take care of his business here. We need to do what he sent us here to do. We need to make our mark here! For the Christian death is not a terror. It does not matter when or how it comes. But it does matter how you lived here. Can you like Paul say, I have run the race, I have finished the course? I want to close my eyes with that assurance that I have done all I came here to do. I don’t want to die without fulfilling the mission. This is what the bible means when it says let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Jesus said it this way: I glorified you on earth By completing down to the last detail What you assigned me to do. John 17:4 (MSG) Your fulfilling your mission on earth to the last detail is how to glorify your father in heaven. With this understanding you must approach each day as if it were your last. Not in fear, but in completing all you were supposed to do today. That, my friends is the key to winning over death. THINK: If you were to face death today what will you regret that you never did? Start doing it today. (c) DEEPWORDS DEVOTIONAL almost there....
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 04:56:41 +0000
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