Paul shares this hope in Christ to the Colossians ... and to all that call themselves followers of the Christ.
Hear Paul's prayer:
BIBLE ".... that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, ....to please Him in all respects, .... bearing fruit in every good work ....and increasing in the knowledge of God; .... strengthened with all power, .... according to His glorious might, ..." END (Colossians 1:10)
A life bearing fruit in every good work ....is truly Living life ... to the fullest. (Pause)
A little girl asks her mother, "Mommy, why do you cut off the ends of the meat .... before you cook it?"
The girl's mother went on to tell her .... that she thought that cutting off the ends of the meat... added flavor ....by allowing the meat to better absorb the spices.
But perhaps she had better ask her grandma ... since she had learned it from her.
So the little girl found her grandmother and asked, .... "Grandma, why do you and mommy chop off the ends of the meat before you cook it?"
Her grandmother thought for a moment and said, "I think it allows the meat to stay tender because it soaks up the juices, ....
But why don't you ask your Nana .... because after all, ... I learned from her ... and she has always done it that way."
The little girl was getting a little frustrated, .... but climbs up in her great-grandmother's lap and asks: "Nana, why do you .... and Mommy .... and Grandma cut the ends off of the meat before you cook it?"
Nana answers, "I don't know why your Mom and Grandma do it, .... but I did it .... because my pot wasn't big enough." (Pause)
Beloved ... How many times have we walked through life blindly, .... without knowing the purpose .... for what we do? (Pause)
One of golf's immortal moments came when a Scotsman demonstrated this new game of golf ....to President Ulysses S. Grant.
Carefully placing the ball on the tee, the Scotsman took a mighty swing.
The club hit the turf and scattered dirt all over the President's beard ... and the surrounding vicinity, .... while the ball waited placidly on the tee.
Again the Scotsman swung .... and again he hit the ground.
Our president waited patiently through six swings and then quietly stated:
"There seems to be a fair amount of exercise in the game, ....... but I fail to see the purpose .... of the ball."
President Grant made a statement that could be true about many lives.
There seems to be a fair amount of exercise ...... but fail to see the purpose. (Pause)
How many people have much activity in their lives .... yet little or no progress?
For all the busy-ness in each of our lives .... "Are you getting anywhere?"
"Are you going anywhere?"
"Is there a purpose for it all?" (Pause)
Beloved......Purpose gives meaning to our lives.
It gives one the ability to say, .... "I know .... why I'm doing ... what I'm doing!"
And ... the Question needs to be asked: Are you living ....... or are you .... just existing?
There is a difference; ...... there is a tremendous difference.
Living has been defined as ....... "vigorous, alive and full of life."
Existing is defined as .... "to have being." To just being there... (Pause)
How many ... are just existing and not truly ...living life?
So many wake up, .... and follow a routine every day.
They go about their business, .... but they have no real sense of purpose in their lives.
Their happiness .... their fulfillment of life depends largely .... On others .... On circumstances.
If they were completely honest, .... they would admit that inside, ......they are empty ...... they are not filled to the brim ... with life.
(Slow) Now.... I am not saying ... that we all have to live lives of liberality, .... with a new, .... wild change every day.
However, .... we can learn to live lives that are full of vigor and livelihood .... rather than being content with just .... "being." ... Of just .... existing.
The inspired word of God ... gives us three ways to accomplish this.
First and foremost, ... Beloved:
Carpe (Car-pa) Diem... Seize the day. Seize each and every day.
If you surveyed these United States, .... probably most people would say that they want: ...... a life that will ... "Seize the Day.
No one wants life .... to be mediocre.
We want our lives .... to be full.
We want everything we can get .... out of every single day.
Yet......We are wrapped up in deadlines, .... commitments, .... problems and priorities ...... and it just doesn't ... always happen.
And .... We do not "Seize the Day".
Yet .... There are ways to "Seize the Day", .... to seize every day .... of your life.
And.... the apostle Paul had this down to an art and wrote of The way to seize the day... to seize life ....in his epistle.
Paul knows his sure-fire purpose for life.
Do you know .... the purpose of your life? (Long Pause)
What is the primary purpose of an ink pen?
To write, .... of course.
A 95 dollar, .... 24-karat gold-cross pen .... that is out of ink .... is nice to look at, .... but is a failure as a useful pen.
It does not fulfill its purpose.
When it comes time to endorse a check, ... you will bypass the empty solid gold pen ...... and go for the 29-cent Bic .... that works.
Just like the pen, ...... we will fail ... unless we know our reason for being, .... our purpose in life.
Paul proclaims his reason for living with these words: BIBLE "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection .... and the fellowship in sharing in his suffering, ...becoming like him in his death, .... and so somehow to attain resurrection from the dead." END (Philippians 3:10)
Simply put, .... Paul's reason for living was to be like Jesus.
Should this not be our reason .... our purpose for living.... to be more like Jesus?
To be conformed to his image.
Also... in order, to seize each and every day, Paul tells us, .... to forget the past ....and press on to our heavenly goal.
Hear his words:
BIBLE "One thing I do: .... forgetting what is behind .... and straining toward what is ahead, ......I press on toward the goal to win the prize ......for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." END (Philippians 3:13-14)
Yet there will be trials... there will be times that we fail ... times we will fall short.
On New Year's Day in 1929, ... Georgia Tech was playing California in a postseason game.
Late in the second quarter, ... Roy Regals recovered a fumble for California, ... and in his excitement became confused and ran the wrong way.
After racing 65 yards, he was finally tackled .... by his own player at the 2-yard line.
California attempted to punt from deep in their own end zone, ... but the kick was blocked ... and Georgia Tech scored a safety.
In the locker room at half time, ...... Regal's sat in the corner ... with his face buried in his hands, .... sobbing.
The coach did not make his usual halftime speech, .... but before the team went on the field in the second half, he simply said, ... "The starting team goes back on this half."
The whole team left except for Regals ... who still had his face still in his hands.
"I can't do it coach, ... I've ruined the game, ... and I've ruined the team." (Pause)
The coach said, "Get up Regals.
The game is only half over, .... (Slow) you belong .... on the field."
Beloved, .... our game on this side of eternity .... is not over.
God proclaims in Isaiah, "I am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, ..... and remembers your sins no more." (Isaiah 43:25)
Praise God, ....... if the Lord God can forget our transgressions, .... then we should do the same?
We can learn from our sins ... from our failures ......but do not let them be a yoke around your neck.
My yoke is easy and my burden is light saith the Lord. (Matthew 11:30) (Pause)
Beloved .... (Slow) ... Live in love, ....and love to live! REPEAT
Live in God's Love... live in his Agape love
When asked what agape was, ... a certain little boy said, ... "Oh, that's the fish we have .... that always fights with our goldfish!"
We have all heard, numerous times, the words from 1 Corinthians 13 concerning the love we should portray.
Love is patient; .... love is kind; .... love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way; .... it is not irritable or resentful; ... t does not rejoice in wrongdoing, .... but rejoices in the truth.
It bears all things, .... believes all things, ...... hopes all things, ......endures all things. ...... Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13)
Do you put this love into practice?
Do you allow this love to permeate your very being?
Do you really consider it a thriving aspect of living?
Well.... God does.
The time we stop loving .... is the time we stop living.
And the time we stop living, .... well, .... then we will only be existing .... and we will not .... Seize the Day.
We have all heard the phrase, "love isn't something you feel, .... It is something that you do."
Love is an attribute of God himself; .... it is the essence of who God Is.
And John's first epistle .... states it with these words:
(SING) (1 John 4:7-8)
Beloved let us Love One another.
For Love is of God and everyone who loves is Born of God and knoweth God.
He who loveth not knoweth not God for God is Love. Beloved let us love one another 1st John 4 7 & 8.
This is the first Scripture I memorized.
Probably because it was placed into a melody.
Beloved ... "God is not like Love" .... (Slow) "God Is Love".
The Scriptures state: "These three remain: faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Faith is the foundation of God's message.
Hope is the attitude and the focus, ....
But love .... (Slow) Love is the action.
When faith and hope are in line, .... you are free to love completely .... and through this .... we can truly ...... "Seize the Day."
And to fully Seize the Day .... We must stop worrying ... and give our burdens to the Lord
I recently read .... that a dense fog covering a seven-block area of a city .... is composed of less than one normal eight-ounce glass of water.
It is divided into ... billions of droplets.
Such a small amount of water can create so much gloom, .... and can even cripple .... an entire city.
Worry and anxiety .... are like that.
Just a small amount ... can settle on you like a great cloud of gloom .... and can keep you .... From enjoying your life.
Fear deteriorates the quality of our lives ... and can even destroy us physically.
Faith breathes life and joy .... into our bodies and in this ... we find complete wholeness.
Jesus tried to change our focus from fear to faithfulness when he says: BIBLE "Look at the birds of the air: .... they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? .... Who of you by worrying .... can add a single hour to your life?" END (Matthew 6:26)
So how do we change our focus ... from worry to faith?
(Pause) Give them all .... Give them all to Jesus.
His yoke is easy and his burden is light.
Seize the Day.
The life you live ... is not your own, .... but is a gift from God.
Make the most out of this one life .... that he has given you.
It is time to stop telling God how big your problems are .... and to start telling your problems ... how big .... your God is. .....
We can learn ... and must learn ...... to stop existing .... and to start living.
Let us fight the good fight.... let us finish the race.
Let us finish well.
Beloved .... Carpe (Car-pa) Diem...
(Slow) "Seize the day"
Amen & Amen!
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