Not In Vain
Not in Vain
This is the 500th blog that I have written. I decided to go back to blog number one, written in 2012, to remind myself of why I started writing this thing. It is strange to think that I have been sitting down each Wednesday for 12 years to try and encourage a heart or two. I am not sure what good, if any, this blog has done in the kingdom but that is up to the Lord and not me. As you will read, it was my heart’s desire that my life not be lived in vain and it is still my prayer that my life not be lived in vain. I wish I would say wise things that are very quotable, but God did not gift me that way so I do the next best thing, I steal them...Francis Chan said, “Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that really don’t matter.” I used to carry a newspaper article in my old bible that shared almost the same sentiment. Do not let fear of failure keep you from doing what God has called you to do. I have failed often in my life. I will continue to fail. But I pray that what I consider a failure, God will consider a step of obedience. Twelve years ago, when I wrote this, my dad was still with us. Since then he has gone to heaven and is there waiting for the rest of his family. Each one of children is living for the Lord. We owe our spiritual legacy to the work of Jesus in the life of my dad. My dad ended his life faithfully and I pray that I will do the same. More for my benefit than yours, here is the first blog I wrote.
Not in Vain
My father turned 80 a few days ago. When I was young I heard him speak about a verse that he wanted his life to mirror. The verse was I Cor 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (ESV). As I look at my dad’s life I am thankful for his steadfast walk with the Lord. He has not wavered in his walk of obedience. He has been immovable in his faith. He still holds firmly to the truth of the Word of God. He recently purchased an IPad so that he can face time his great grandchildren. One of the first things he did, right after he face timed me and showed me how his new toilet flushed (another story) was to download some apps that helped him better study the Word of God. Although his knees are bad and he is unable to regularly teach at church he still looks like Tigger as he abounds in the work of the Lord.
What I find so encouraging about all of this is that if you were to ask my dad the secret to his long walk with God he would be the first to share that it was not him but the Lord who has sustained him. My dad has been steadfast, immovable, and always abounding because he is in the Lord. The Lord has been faithful. The Lord is the one who keeps and finishes the work that He began in my dad. Sure, there have been many good decisions made by my dad. Many acts of self discipline but my dad would also share that there have been many poor decisions and many times of self indulgence. And yet, because he is in the Lord, because of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in his life, my dad’s life has not, and will not, be lived in vain.
I am probably in what many would call “mid life crisis” time. I don’t know. I never have been here before. I am concerned, though, that my life continues to be a life of steadfast obedience, immovable faith, and abounding work. I find that I am at the middle of my journey here on earth and sometimes the road ahead looks as long as the road behind. Will I continue to walk worthy? I am encouraged to learn from my dad, and the Word of God, that it is the Lord who sustains me. That my life not being in vain is based on my relationship to Him not primarily on my great efforts. That certainly takes a load off.
This is the 500th blog that I have written. I decided to go back to blog number one, written in 2012, to remind myself of why I started writing this thing. It is strange to think that I have been sitting down each Wednesday for 12 years to try and encourage a heart or two. I am not sure what good, if any, this blog has done in the kingdom but that is up to the Lord and not me. As you will read, it was my heart’s desire that my life not be lived in vain and it is still my prayer that my life not be lived in vain. I wish I would say wise things that are very quotable, but God did not gift me that way so I do the next best thing, I steal them...Francis Chan said, “Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that really don’t matter.” I used to carry a newspaper article in my old bible that shared almost the same sentiment. Do not let fear of failure keep you from doing what God has called you to do. I have failed often in my life. I will continue to fail. But I pray that what I consider a failure, God will consider a step of obedience. Twelve years ago, when I wrote this, my dad was still with us. Since then he has gone to heaven and is there waiting for the rest of his family. Each one of children is living for the Lord. We owe our spiritual legacy to the work of Jesus in the life of my dad. My dad ended his life faithfully and I pray that I will do the same. More for my benefit than yours, here is the first blog I wrote.
Not in Vain
My father turned 80 a few days ago. When I was young I heard him speak about a verse that he wanted his life to mirror. The verse was I Cor 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (ESV). As I look at my dad’s life I am thankful for his steadfast walk with the Lord. He has not wavered in his walk of obedience. He has been immovable in his faith. He still holds firmly to the truth of the Word of God. He recently purchased an IPad so that he can face time his great grandchildren. One of the first things he did, right after he face timed me and showed me how his new toilet flushed (another story) was to download some apps that helped him better study the Word of God. Although his knees are bad and he is unable to regularly teach at church he still looks like Tigger as he abounds in the work of the Lord.
What I find so encouraging about all of this is that if you were to ask my dad the secret to his long walk with God he would be the first to share that it was not him but the Lord who has sustained him. My dad has been steadfast, immovable, and always abounding because he is in the Lord. The Lord has been faithful. The Lord is the one who keeps and finishes the work that He began in my dad. Sure, there have been many good decisions made by my dad. Many acts of self discipline but my dad would also share that there have been many poor decisions and many times of self indulgence. And yet, because he is in the Lord, because of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in his life, my dad’s life has not, and will not, be lived in vain.
I am probably in what many would call “mid life crisis” time. I don’t know. I never have been here before. I am concerned, though, that my life continues to be a life of steadfast obedience, immovable faith, and abounding work. I find that I am at the middle of my journey here on earth and sometimes the road ahead looks as long as the road behind. Will I continue to walk worthy? I am encouraged to learn from my dad, and the Word of God, that it is the Lord who sustains me. That my life not being in vain is based on my relationship to Him not primarily on my great efforts. That certainly takes a load off.
Recent
Archive
2024
October
2023
December
2022
Categories
no categories
No Comments