Success in Life
Today, just 25 percent of adult Americans say "a lot of money" signifies success and accomplishment, down from 33 percent in 1996.
What do people most associate with success and accomplishment:
83% say that doing those things that will make them feel Satisfied that they are using their life well is the measure of success.
Did you know that the average person SPENDS in his life time
-35.000 hours eating
SPENDS - 30.000 hours in traffic
SPENDS - 2508 BRUSHING HIS TEETH.
SPENDS 870.000 HOURS DOING THINGS LIKE paying bills, getting dressed, getting undressed, filling out forms, and repairing things.
SPENDS - 217.000 hours at work.
When you add all that up it doesn’t leave much time left over for the important things in life.
what are you doing with those few remaining hours in your life?
How are you SPENDING your life between the times you eat, sleep and brush your teeth?
Are you accomplishing something meaningful
Or are you letting that time slip by you.
PRAYER
All of us have attended meetings or lectures where the speaker asks "are there any questions"
Robert Fulghum is an author who has made it his practice when ever someone asked "are there any questions"
He would asks "what is the meaning of Life"?
Of course the question is never taken seriously, people laugh and walk away.
One day Fulgram was at the seminar of a Greek Philosopher, and he asked the usual question "what is the meaning of life"
Everyone laughed, and began to get up to leave, but the philosopher held up his hand and stilled the crowd, and looked at fugram for a long time trying to discern if his question was serious or not.
"I will answer the question"
The philosopher took his wallet from his pocket.
He brought out a very small round mirror about the size of a quarter.
"When I was a boy, during WWII, we were very poor and lived in a remote village in Greece.
One day on the road I found several small pieces of a broken mirror.
A German soldier’s motor cycle had been wrecked in that place.
I tried to find all the pieces and fit them together, but it was impossible, so I kept only the largest one.
This piece.
I scratched it against a stone, and made it round. And I began to play with it like a toy.
I became fascinated that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine--like deep holes, and crevices, and dark closets.
It became a game for to me to try and get light to shine into the most inaccessible places I could find.
As I went about my growing up I would take it out during idle moments and continue the challenge of the game.
As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child’s game, but a metaphor, for what I might do with my life.
I came to understand that I am not the light, nor the source of light
But light -- the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ -- is there
And it will only shine in many dark places if it is reflected.
I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape are not known. Never the less, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world.
Into the black places in the hearts of man -- and change some things in some people., perhaps others will see and do likewise,
This is the meaning of MY life".
Then he took his small mirror, and holding it carefully, caught the bright rays of daylight streaming through the window, and reflected them onto my face and onto my hands folded on the desk.
I love that story because it is an illustration of how one man recognized the importance of how he should spend his life
God Help each one of us to choose to spend our life wisely
I want to share a few principles God has established for the use of your life.
Ephesians 5:15-21
Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, [16] making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. [17] Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. [18] Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. [19] Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, [20] always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[21] Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
1. Be mindful of the Time
USA Today reported the top five things people put off until the last minute:
House chores/yard work: 47
Holiday gift shopping: 43
Making doctor/dentist appointments: 35
Calling relatives: 31
Changing oil in the car: 29
My favorite thing to do is to slow down to an idle, like that on old guy who drives around town
I figure since they are out wasting time, I might as well really frustrate things b y going really slow so they can waste even more time......
DON’T WASTE TIME!
God has given you a precious life to live, and to serve him,
sure we have responsibilities and things we need to do
but if we don’t take time to reflect his light into dark places people will never know, and they will never hear, and they will always be in darkness, because we wasted time.
DON’T WASTE TIME
2. Be careful How you Live
-a man went into the doctors, because he was feeling ill, and he had some tests done. he came back a few days later for the results, the doctor told him .....I have good news and bad news.
-good news--you are going to die in three days
-bad news - this report is two and half days old.
another man went into the doctors office and said doctor, doctor, I broke my leg in two places
the doctor told him " You ought to stay out of those places".
- we need to be careful how we live our life
I John 1:6 "If we claim to have fellowship with him yet we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth."
Martin Luther once said " You can’t stop the bird from flying over your head, but if you allow them to stop and make a nest in your hair, you are the one to blame".
It is your life, and if you waste the precious hours that God has given you by living for things that displease God
By hanging around those who are walking in darkenss
if you SPEND your life
by going to places and doing things that Jesus would not do with you
IT IS YOUR OWN FAULT
NO ONE ELSES
listen
A LOT OF PEOPLE BLAME GOD WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO THEM
BUT RARELY DO MEN TAKE A LOOK AT THEIR WALK AND THE DECISIONS THEY MADE, THAT LED THEM TO THE PLACE THEY ARE
Be careful How You Live Your Life
You will reap what You sow
SPEND YOUR TIME WISELY
3. Dedicate Your Life to God
A man fell on hard times. He didn’t know how he was going to survive. Then an opportunity came his way to sell his body to science. So he did it and received the money. Then some time later the man came into an inheritance.
He decided to try and give the money back to the university, so that his body would not cut up.
They refused
He took them to court
They won, and maintained possession of the mans body after he died.
God almighty wants you, not a part, and not for just a while, but for all eternity.
VS 18 says: "Keep yourself filled with the Spirit"
by
Keeping yourself sold Out, and submitted to Christ.
Conclusion:
The ordinary Guy
He was ordinary until he gave his heart to Christ.
He worked in the church, he worked with gangs
he was shot
and burried, at his grave sight, his girlfriend said of Him
"His life was such a waste".
