We are now almost two weeks into a new year — time marches on! I’m reminded of the plaque that hung at the bottom of my Grandma’s staircase that read:
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Those two lines are part of a much longer poem, written by C.T. Studd (1860-1931), an outstanding British cricket player who left the world of sports and fame to serve fifteen years at the China Inland Mission with Hudson Taylor followed by six years as a missionary in India. He then devoted the rest of his life to spreading the Gospel in Africa.
Of his life’s work he stated the following, also a well-known quote:
“Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.”
And:
“God has called me to go, and I will go. I will blaze the trail though my grave may only become a stepping stone that younger men may follow.”
We aren’t all called to mission work in other countries. Some of us are called to business, to sports, to medicine, to education, to science, to social work, etc. — to bring God (who is with us!) into those realms where there are people who desperately need Him.
I’m more and more convinced that second to Satan’s primary goal to keep people out of Christ’s Kingdom, is his effort to keep them ineffective once they’re in it.
Let’s not let that be you or me!
First, know who your God is and who He is to you.
Then, know who He created you to be and what He created you for.
And finally, know who He’s called you to serve and how He wants you to serve them.
One of the ways Satan tries to keep us from being effective in Christ’s Kingdom is by telling us we’re self-centered to seek to understand ourselves and know our purpose. Nothing could be further from the truth! We honor our Creator when we come to understand His purpose for us and how He’s equipped us to live that purpose. And, as we come to understand and embrace our own uniqueness as God created us, we allow others to be who He created them to be, too, even though we may be very different.
As we walk into this New Year, let’s determine to make it count for Jesus by committing to learn to know Him better, to understanding more about who He created us to be, and to growing in love for those He’s placed in our lives.
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
