Do we realize what we have? What are the things we value? What things do we prioritize in life? How do we cherish the blessings in life; family, friends, house and home? Do we realize the value of it? How valuable is one life? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
Think about the time we spend involved in our hobbies. Think about the blessings we have when we pursue the things we enjoy. Many of us would rather spend time doing what we enjoy than most other endeavors. We prefer that, but is it the most valuable?
Do we value the time we spend living life? We put a tremendous amount of effort into enjoyment and preparing for tomorrow, but do we stop to appreciate it? One of the dangers we face is looking ahead on the calendar is not appreciating the time we have now.
To realize the value of ten years: Ask a newly Divorced couple.
To realize the value of four years: Ask a graduate.
To realize the value of one year: Ask a student who has failed a final exam.
To realize the value of one month: ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one week: ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of one minute: ask a person who has missed a train, bus or plane.
To realize the value of one-second: ask a person who has survived an accident.
I was that person who missed being killed by a split second. I first heard the siren then noticed a police car with its lights on. I proceeded to get out of the way, pulled through the intersection and over to the side of the road. What I didn’t see was the car ahead of the police car, speeding away from the officer at 100 mph. It swerved to miss some cars at a stop sign, passed between my car and theirs, lost control, hit the side of the road, flew through the air, took out a bus stop enclosure, and rolled over several times before coming to rest on its roof. A split second and I would have been broadsided by that car. A split second made all the difference.
We need to realize how valuable the time that we have is. Time is precious and does not stand still. There is no force we know that can stop the march of time. We need to value every moment we have.
To realize the value of a friend or family member: LOSE ONE.
We need to stop procrastinating and looking down the road. We need to stop and cherish what has been given to us. How many of us are guilty of looking past today and wanting what tomorrow brings? When we look past today, wanting tomorrow, we fail to see the blessings that we have right here, right now. We are condemning ourselves to looking back saying what if…?
How much would change if we only took the time to realize what we have? How much more peace and joy would we have if we only took the time to appreciate each moment?
We shouldn’t get to the end of our life and wonder what would have happened if you did things differently. Through Jesus Christ we can secure our future so that we can have peace in each moment.
We all want to get somewhere in life. We all want to accomplish something. We all have our sights set on attaining things in the future.
One thing that we can secure now that will change our focus forever is securing our eternal destiny. Billy Graham asks the question about how sure we are of going to heaven. “Well, are you one hundred percent positive you will be in heaven if the call came today? You can be.”
We all have issues; we haven’t lived a perfect life. We all have made choices that don’t honor God. We all like to think we are good, but the fact remains we fall short.
Let me ask you; have you told more than 20 lies in your life? Have you ever taken something that belongs to someone else, even a little thing? Have you ever used God’s name in vain? Jesus said if you look at someone with lust in heart you have committed a sin, have you ever looked at someone with lust in your heart? Well, when you look at things that way we are blaspheming, lying, thieves with lust in our hearts.
Scripture tells us;
Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
But
Romans 5:8, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Titus 3:5, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.”
What do you think will happen when we stand before God? Scripture tells us if we are guilty of these things we will end up in hell, eternally separated from God. That is not where we want to be, eternally separated from the goodness of God. God can fix that, God made a provision through Jesus Christ.
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Are we ready to accept the gift of eternal life that Jesus is offering, to secure our future that will allow us to be at peace?
We must acknowledge that we are a sinner in need of a Savior – this is to repent or turn away from sin. We must believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead – this is to trust that Jesus paid the full penalty for our sins. We must confess Jesus as our Lord and our God – this is to surrender control of our life to Jesus. We then receive Jesus as our Savior forever – this is to accept that God has done for us and in us what He promised.
A Prayer for Salvation
“Lord Jesus, I know that I have fallen short and ask for your forgiveness. I believe You died and rose from the grave to make me a new creation and to prepare me to dwell in your presence forever. Jesus, come into my life, take control of my life, forgive my sins and save me. I am now placing my trust in You alone for my salvation and I accept your free gift of forgiveness and restoration.”
Please share with us if you made a decision to accept the gift of life that God offers. We would welcome the opportunity to rejoice with you.
Blessings,
Pastor Don