Make it Count

MANY PEOPLE think they own their lives, so they live as they please.

Paul lived as he pleased until the Lord met him on the road to Damascus. Then, he became a changed man. (Acts of Apostles 9:3-20)

He said: Jesus died for all so that all who lived would no longer live for themselves but for Him, who died and was raised for their sake. (2 Corinthians 5 verse 15)

IF YOU want your life to count, you must live unto God.

Paul also said: I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him, I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Galatians 2 verse 20)

The true call of a Christian is not to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things extraordinarily — Dean Stanley.

IF YOU desire to please God, you must trust him.

Jehoshaphat trusted God completely when he said, "Believe and trust in the Lord your God, and you will be established (secure). Believe and trust in His prophets, and you will succeed. (2 Chronicles 20 verse 30)

When you trust him, you show gratitude.

God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied with Him — John Piper.

LIFE is God’s novel. Let him write it — Isaac Bashevis Singer.

Life is like a novel

You make your life count when you allow God to write your story.

BY FAITH, the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. (Hebrews 11 verse 31)

She did not make history; history made her. Her faith in God became her story.

May your scars be your testimony.

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You do not make history. It makes you.

ABRAM’s FAITH in God became his story, too. He left his father’s house and kindred for a city built by God. (Genesis 12 verses 1-3)

He knew God would bless anything he authors. So, he placed God in the driver’s seat.

Abram knew with God, he had potentials.

Your potential is the sum of all the possibilities God has for your life—Charles Stanley.

WHEN God calls, he makes his perspective known.

Jeremiah learnt this early in life when God said, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

God had called him to serve even before he was formed. So, his life wasn't about him. It was about God.

He told God he was too young, so vulnerability before God is acceptable. (Jeremiah 1 verses 1-7)

TO MAKE your life count, you must be vulnerable to God. Your inability makes you depend on God.

Jehoshaphat wasn't scared of letting God know his vulnerability before his people. He was not too dignified to admit his weakness.

He prayed: O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless against this great multitude which is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You. (2 Chronicles 20 verse 12)

FOR YOUR LIFE to count, you must be focused.

Jesus said: The eye is the body's lamp; so if your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive], your whole body will be full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts]. (Matthew 6 verse 22)

Your focus determines your spiritual health. When your life glorifies God, you'll make it count.

In Paul's letter to Timothy, he said, I have fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.

Now there is in store the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—not only to me but to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4 verses 7-8)

Bringing it Together

PAUL could say this to Timothy because he was leaving empty. He had poured everything into Timothy and the people he met.

What will people say to you when your time comes? Will you leave empty?

Have a blessed week.