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Live Life to the Fullest
Category:
Inspirational
Publisher: Leaning Tree Christian Publishers
ISBN-10: 0615356648
Type: Non-Fiction
Pages: 77
Copyright: March 20, 2015
ISBN-13: 9780615356648
Price: $2.99 (eBook)
What is the purpose of your life? Why are you here? Is it just to exist? To live each day in misery until one day you mercifully die and it’s over?
What is the purpose of your life? Why are you here? Is it just to exist? To live each day in misery until one day you mercifully die and it’s over?
Or is it too:
To wake up each morning with excitement? To enjoy the day? To face your challenges not with fear but with confidence.
Life is like a beautifully wrapped gift. You can open it to find what you need for this day. You can choose to live with a smile, knowing tomorrow morning another gift awaits you. And the same gift is given to you every morning for the rest of your life.
Today you can.
·See Yourself as God sees you.
·Become the person God wants you to be.
· Live a successful life.
·Line A delightful life.
·Take Care of yourself.
·Fall in love all over again.
·Live Debt free.
·Change the world.
Excerpt
Chapter 1
Seeing yourself as God sees you.
What does God think of you? Does He even know you exist? Or is He so busy His thoughts never even touch you? Are you a valueless member of His society, someone who doesn’t count? A disposable person?
Today in our country we have “throw away people.” Abortion clinics operate at full throttle killing millions of children. Homeless people wander our streets ignored by the harried throngs. Depression rides teenagers until they take their own lives or the lives of others. Some lash out in pain at parents, teachers or classmates. Others draw within themselves.
Our jails and prisons burst at the seams without an end in sight. Law enforcement holds warrants waiting for new jails to be built so they may serve them. Millions endeavor to blot out life’s pain with drugs, alcohol or mindless sex. Others immerse themselves in their careers hoping to dull their conscience. Each day thousands of families are ripped apart in divorce courts. Without hope and peace, millions believe they only exist to be tortured by a God who hates them. Any pleasure they have is short lived.
Is it possible God truly does love us? If so, how does He see us? God says His thoughts are only for our good. ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you,” Jeremiah 29:12.
As a child of God.
The Bible declares in John 1:12 those who receive Christ become the children of God.
As God’s children, we are open to all kinds of opportunities. One of the most important is when we accept His son as our savior, we become God’s responsibility. Just as a virtuous father acknowledges responsibility for his newborn child, so the living God assumes responsibility for His children. God not only saves our soul from hell, He gives us the wonderful opportunity to live for Him while here on earth. What father, watching his child sleep, doesn’t feel his heart swell with love and pride? If called upon, this man would gladly give up his life for his child. In this same way, Christ gave His life for us so we can spend eternity with Him.
This assures us of a home in heaven, and also peace in our hearts. In Psalm 46, the psalmist says, “God is our refuge, a very present help in trouble.” When we need the Lord, He is there. As this loving father stands over the cradle watching his child sleep, so our God watches over us.
Some teach if we sin, God will leave us. They believe the God who promised to never leave us or forsake His children; will send them to hell for sinning. Yet who determines which sin sends me or you to hell? Is it God, myself, or some third party? Remember the Bible says the thought of foolishness is sin. Also, whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Will a wrong thought send us to hell? What about worrying over monthly bills? When God said He would give us eternal or everlasting life, was this a true statement? Surely we would never accuse God of lying; if we did, this would be a foolish thought.
Of course God’s word is true. As the Lord has said, “let God be true and every man a liar.” In other words, He is saying if every man on earth became liars, God would continue to be true to His word. (Romans 3:3-4.)
Salvation makes you a child of God.
Once you were a child of Satan, an enemy of God. In Romans 10:13, the Lord states “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” It doesn’t say if you’re wealthy or famous or well–educated, the right color or the right ethnic group. The only qualification is for you to realize you are a sinner in need of the Savior. The moment you call on the Lord, you pass from death to eternal life with God.
More valuable than the world.
How valuable are you? Our courts award millions to those who have lost limbs in accidents. Hands, arms, legs or feet have material value; however, no sane person would sever even his smallest finger for compensation.
Some employers believe the way to motivate their employees is to convince the person they are disposable and can easily be replaced. This causes stress and uncertainty for the employee on the job and in their home. Strife results between husband and wife, and children also bear the blunt of this conflict. Instead of increasing productivity, it reduces their effectiveness. Instead of motivating the person to work more effectively, the individual becomes distrustful of their employer. If these company’s executives and supervisors could only realize the old adage is true, you attract more flies with honey than vinegar.
If the employee is treated as if they are expendable, they will see themselves as valueless and their job performance will suffer. However, the boss who views each person as an indispensable member of his team will see that employee blossom. Those who treat each employee as a human being with feelings will achieve their goals and the company’s bottom line will improve.
The child who is neglected by his parents at first thinks he doesn’t matter. Then he moves on to self- reliance. Finally, to isolation, believing he can trust no one. Belittling a child will not make that child behave. It only causes him to withdraw from the one hurting him or her. Believing in him, telling the child you love him or her even when he misbehaves will bring him closer to you. For a small child, a hug, kiss and the assurance of unconditional love can cure their present and future problems in life. For the teenager, a smile, pat on the back and the words “I’m proud of you” have a great impact on their life. Knowing mom and dad love them makes a great impression on the child.
Ministers sometimes make this same mistake of stating our unworthiness to God. While it is true we are all sinners, yet God thought us worthy to send His Son to die for us on the cross. It is also true if we fail to do God’s will for our life, we will suffer His chastisement. Just like a loving parent who must punish their child, God still loves us.
Moses constantly gave excuses why he couldn’t be a leader. The Lord patiently assured him he could. Finally, God became angry at Moses’ lack of confidence and sent Aaron to accompany him. Then a miracle takes place as Moses becomes the leader God knew him to be. He boldly stands before Pharaoh demanding the release of God’s people. Later the children of Israel are blocked by the Red Sea in front and obstacles on either side. The Egyptian army is coming up behind, there seems to be no way out.
Moses stands up and boldly shouts, “Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” God opens the Red Sea. Moses leads the people across on dry ground and into history. A pastor friend jokingly said God convinced Moses he could speak and then couldn’t shut him up. Would we discount Moses, could we say he was worthless in God’s sight? Of course not, yet there are those reading these words who believe not only are they worthless but hated by the very God who loves them. We tend to forget Moses was a murderer and a fugitive for 40 years.
As a future ruler in His kingdom.
People, both Christian and non Christians alike love fairy tales. Stories of the handsome prince or the beautiful princess fascinate us. Even as grown ups, we are thrilled when a commoner is selected by a prince or king. In a very real sense, this is what happened to us. In Revelation 1:6, God calls us kings and priests. Paul said if we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him.
Every young prince or princess must undergo many years of tutorage to learn how to proper conduct themselves. No child is born with the knowledge of leadership. Should we whine and complain when the test and trials become difficult? God is grooming His children to reign with His Son. Perhaps today the Lord will appear to take us home to be with Him. When He comes, we will celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb. During this period there will be a great tribulation on earth.
After this, we will return with Him to reign on earth a thousand years. Our bodies will be glorified, never to feel pain, distress or death. Do you feel your training will never end? Hold on, dear saint, Christ is at the door.
In Genesis, we read of Joseph being a perfect example of a ruler in training. He was hated by his brothers, sold as a slave to a caravan, in Egypt sold again to Potiphar, a captain of Pharaoh. This teenage boy kept his faith in God even in slavery. Joseph’s life seemed to be improving. Recognizing his ability and favor with God, Potiphar put Joseph in charge of all his holdings. Potiphar’s morally bankrupt wife sees this young man as an opportunity to cheat on her husband. However, she never met a man like Joseph. Instead of giving into temptation, he says ,“ How can I do this evil in the sight of God?” He runs from the house, leaving his coat. Rebuffed and angry, she accuses Joseph of attempted rape. Potiphar believes his wife (big mistake; if she cheated once, she will do it again) and throws Joseph into prison without a trial. This young man could have blamed God. He could have given up. We have a tendency to believe the people in the Bible were super saints. After all his family had betrayed him, his master’s wife lied about him and now in spite of all the good he did, he sets in a prison cell.
We forget the people in the Bible were just men and women touched by God. Perhaps Joseph wept his first night in prison. I’m sure he faced many days of despair. Each morning he rose from his pallet with the prayer on his lips, “Lord, take me out of this prison.” God’s answer of “Not yet” must have been very hard to take. Yet his true character showed through. Even in Pharaoh’s dungeon, Joseph rises to the top. Finally, after several years, he is released to become the second ruler in Egypt. In this capacity, he saves his family from starvation and becomes the ruler God knew he could be.
Later, after his father’s death, his brothers fear he will take revenge on them. His answer is classic. “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.”
If we could learn from Joseph, the end is not the end when God is in charge. Are you going through trials at this time? Perhaps you just found out you have cancer or some other devastating disease. Has a loved one passed away? Perhaps you have lost your source of income. Are you a victim of a crime or incarcerated yourself? Lean on the Lord. Trust in His word. He is preparing you to rule with Him.
As one of a kind.
No two persons are identical. DNA can and has been used to release the incarcerated and convict the guilty. Fingerprints, dental records and hair follicles are used to identify individuals. In this same way, God has made each one of us unique. Also, He deals with each one of us in a distinct way. To one, He allows physical trials, to another, mental difficulty, others may experience financial problems. Did you ever question why? Why is He letting these things come upon me? The old standby question is, ‘If God loves me why is He letting all these things happen to me?” Some believe, as stated before, God is an ogre and enjoys tormenting humans. However, it is because of His deep love for us. God wants us to trust Him fully throughout our lifetime; He desires a close relationship with each person.
As a man or woman of God.
How do you see yourself? When you look in the mirror, what is the person like looking back at you? Are they a good individual? Do you like what you see? Is The Lord Jesus Christ your saviour? If so, I can unequivocally say you are a man or woman of God.
You may say, “You don’t know the things I’ve done, I’m not what I should be, I’m for sure not what I want to be.” This is true in each of our lives. No matter how closely we walk with the Lord, there is always room for improvement. Our salvation depends on Christ, not on the things we have done or will do. Many people feel they must keep themselves saved. The problem is, this is an impossible task. We couldn’t save ourselves; therefore we can’t keep ourselves saved. However, if my salvation depended on the works I performed, I would have to ask myself two questions: how long and how much would I have to work? If I worked for two years on a distant mission field, would that be enough? How long would I need to work? For five? Ten? Twenty years? What if I missed heaven by a month, a day or an hour?
Thank God my salvation and home in heaven doesn’t depend on me, but Christ who shed His blood on the cross to pay for my sins.
My fellowship with the God of the universe is another story. If I sin, the sweet fellowship I have with my Heavenly Father is broken. It will remain so until I confess that sin, getting my heart right with Him. He is still my Father and I am still His son. Yet the communion with Him is broken. It can only be repaired by my getting my heart right with Him. When the prodigal son left home in the 15th chapter of Luke, he lost the fellowship with his father and the family. However, he was never separated from his father’s love. When the son came back home, his father welcomed him with open arms.
Some believe this assurance of salvation gives them the right to do anything they please. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you are truly born again, your heart is changed. If the love for and from God has penetrated your heart, you will no longer want to go back to your old ways. You are a child of God. You are His responsibility.
Just as it is the duty of any parent to discipline and guide their child; so this is something God our Father takes very seriously, as should we.
Notes
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Points to ponder
If you have received Christ as your, savior you are God’s child! If not, you can be today.
Realize you are, as we all are, a sinner. (Romans 3:23)
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