Life's Short, Live It! Series

Introduction:

AG: I don’t often pay attention to what celebrities have to save, but Easter Sunday, Donnie Walburg tweeted this:

Life's short, LIVE IT!

Hate's weak, STOP IT!

Hope's real, KEEP IT!

Fear's poison, FACE IT!

Love's eternal, FEEL IT!

Time's wasting, DO IT!

RS: That got me to thinking. That sounded like a sermon! In fact, that sounded like many sermons. And with that, this series was born.

Life's short live it

What a profound statement!

1. Life's short

IL: I used to love working on the ambulance. I admit it, I’m a recovering adrenaline junkie. There was something thrilling of answering the call with lights blazing and sirens wailing. Especially when I was an Intermediate and could start IV’s. I felt like Roy and Gage on Emergency!

Then the inevitable happened. I was traveling from the station home after leading a day of extrication training. I came upon the scene of several people gathered in the road and cars lining the shoulders. As I came even with what I had assumed to be a pet, I was stunned to see a child in the road. A woman looked up at me and through my window which was down asked all who heard, “Can anyone help my baby?” I immediately hit the ditch and ran to the child. I did CPR on the child who was lying across the yellow line. It seemed like forever until the ambulance arrived and took over.

After that, it was no longer fun. I have never enjoyed EMS as much as I once did. I still volunteer and help, but the thrill is gone. I had learned the lesson, that life is short.

Several writers of the Scripture have also commented on the brevity of life. James, the half-brother of Jesus said in James 4:14. (NKJV)14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” The Psalmist in Psalm 102:11 says, “My days are like a lengthening shadow, and I wither away like grass.” HCSB

Steam and grass are used to illustrate that life is short. All last a short time. Watch a pot boil, the steam doesn’t stay around long! Watch grass in the summer here in Texas. It doesn’t take but a few days of scorching heat and no water to see it whither!

Life is short! Since life is short, we must LIVE it!

2. Live It

John records the words of Jesus in John 10:10 ESV “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”

I don’t believe Jesus was just talking about going through motions. He didn’t mean living to be just having a heart keep pumping and breath keep going. He didn’t mean get in your rut until you lie down and it becomes a grave as they throw dirt on you.

He wants us to live! He described is giving us life abundantly. That means living life to the fullest. That my friends is a real life!

Let us take that word, life, and look at 5 aspects of abundant life.

1. Limitless Power

I'll: One day as teen, I ran out of gas. I really wasn’t to blame. You see my mother had driven my car and parked in driveway. The next day, I got in my car and as I was backing out of the driveway, I ran out of gas!

If we miss the strength that comes from Christ, we can run out spiritual gas. Remember the claim of Paul in Philippians 4:13, I am able to do all things through Him[b] who strengthens me.

Isaiah 40:28-31 has always been a special passage of Scripture to me. All you have to do is look in my office and see the many eagles there to tell that. It says,

“Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

Yahweh is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the whole earth.

He never grows faint or weary;

there is no limit to His understanding.

29 He gives strength to the weary

and strengthens the powerless.

30 Youths may faint and grow weary,

and young men stumble and fall,

31 but those who trust in the LORD

will renew their strength;

they will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary;

they will walk and not faint.

That passage means more to me now than it ever has. It always spoke to my spirit about spiritual things. However, seven years ago I was one who stumbled and fell. I was one who fainted and grew weary. I was in bed unable to roll over on my own. I had developed Guillain-Barre Syndrome. That disorder had left my nervous system unable to communicate with my muscles. However, as healing occurred, I was able to move again. I regained the ability to walk, and now have that renewed strength.