Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. -2 Corinthians 4:16 (NIV)

I will be your God throughout your lifetime–until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you. -Isaiah 46:4 (NLT)

One of this agent’s all-time favorite comedians is Jack Benny, who said this about getting older: “Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

The amazing thing about believers is that we are new creations in Christ, simply traveling this world in these mortal shells. We are here as long as God allows us to, to serve whatever purposes He has in mind for our lives and those whose lives will intersect and intertwine with ours.

And, as the top verse says, were inwardly being renewed each day. Consider each morning you rise as a fresh slate and opportunity to serve the Lord…an opportunity He did not have to give! With each new day, we can approach it as brand new, yet we’re also armed with one extra day of wisdom and experience to take it on.

It’s all in the perspective. There is an opportunity in every moment and season to praise Him in how we expect things, how we respond to things, how we look at things, and how we tell others about them. The perspective is to look up. When we look up and remember that everything before us, and how we respond to it, are fresh opportunities to make please God, we can open up and let His strength and energy and grace fill us to overflowing, so we can attack the day with the same fervor we did when we were bright-eyed kids.

Why? Because being a child of God is an opportunity to truly be young at heart every day, no matter how old our physical bodies are. We can marvel at the amazing world and challenges He puts before us, knowing He goes before us and behind us. Every new day and every breath we take is a blessing, and the physically older we are, the greater the number of blessed moments and opportunities He’s given us. Let’s make the most of them!

Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. -Romans 8:17 (NIV)

If you stop to think about it, no matter what life is like for you right now, you are here because Jesus lives! He overcame death and lives in each of us.

Beyond all worldly blessings, we have been given the gift of eternal life, to live in the presence of the Lord after we leave this world. And in this world, we are blessed to move and talk and eat and drink…to fellowship with siblings in Christ…to carry His light to bring more to Him!

In truth, we are absolutely swimming in blessings, no matter how poor our circumstances, because He lives. He gives us the strength, fortitude, wisdom, faith, hope, courage, peace, and joy that we don’t have in the face of an evil world.

If you are traveling smooth waters, thank Him for them, and all He carried you through to get there. If you are hanging on for life in rough waters, thank Him for them, because He is giving you the chance to trust in Him to carry you to the smooth waters ahead.

Because He lives, we can face this moment and each moment onward in a manner that glorifies Him. Because He lives, we are more than conquerors!

Amen?

Today’s soundtrack

Matt Maher’s “Because He Lives” exalts Him for making every good thing in our lives possible!

In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:18

No matter what is going on in your life, there are always things to be thankful for. And it’s that attitude of gratitude that can help carry you when you’re facing tough times.

The other morning, I was late heading out the door to work, but still had to get the trash and recycling out for pickup. I also had to get my coffee and lunch kit together to take with me. And, in typical form, I wanted to get all of it done in one trip.

Against all odds, I made it in that one trip! And through that whole mini-adventure out of the house, I gave thanks with a smile for opposable thumbs and coffee.

Now, imagine what life would be like without opposable thumbs and coffee! How different life would be! Suddenly, the absence of these “little” blessings leave gaping holes in our lives, only because we didn’t realize how much they helped.

So, in prayer, start your day thanking the Lord for all of your gifts and blessings. You’ll never be able to count them all.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:18

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? -Matthew 6:26

Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! -Psalm 106:1

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! -2 Corinthians 9:15

At some point we’ve heard of the term “attitude of gratitude.” I actually didn’t hear this term till maybe 2005, but it really resonated with me. Even though I was and am a “glass half full” type of person, “attitude of gratitude” really reminded me to think about my mental approach when faced with less than favorable circumstances.

And once I was saved, the idea of counting your blessings meant so much more.

Too many blessings to count

God blesses us with the things we can see, and countless others in the background we don’t see. If you’ve ever tried to count all the blessings you can see, you won’t have enough time in the day. In fact, I often fall asleep at night trying to thank Him for all the things He does in my life!

The biggest blessing of all, however, is the final sacrifice made to wash away our sins and secure our salvation…a sacrificial love so unfathomably deep that a Father would give up His only Son for us, who cannot nor can ever earn or deserve it.

In light of this, there is really no trial or challenge we face that can be greater than the sacrifice made for us, which ensures our place in His kingdom. Suddenly, even the most harrowing disaster we can imagine is infinitesimally small by comparison to His love, which overwhelms all.

Today’s soundtrack

Downhere’s “How Many Kings” asks us: who else would sacrifice their only son for us?

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. – Ephesians 4:1

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. – Romans 1:16

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 16:19-20

Ever wondered what you’re supposed to do with your life?

I used to wonder that all the time, especially before my conversion in 2013. It’s become clearer and clearer to me, especially in hindsight, that God has been lovingly piecing things together and laying my steps before me.

Looking for answers in all the wrong places

I used to wander so aimlessly with this skill or interest and seeing if I could stick with learning a little more, and seeing if I might stumble upon the right one…THE one…that was the one I was meant to do the rest of my life. Why couldn’t I find the right job that I would love every single day, and advance my career path at the same time?

Oh, how small-minded I was!

It wasn’t about me at all…but without Him in my life, how could I know any different? I only saw my circumstance, and my mind even forecast my bleak, hopeless future.

My first revelation

With each passing day, I’ve learned that, as a believer, my calling is the highest one of all: to do my part in the Great Commission. To tell my story, to bring the lost to Him, and to do Him glory in EVERY. SINGLE. THING. I. DO. And believe it or not, what a wonderful burden it is that He has lifted from me, so I can serve Him!

I often stumble and fall, but now I have a loving Savior who will patiently, lovingly pick me up and help me back on my path…my mission…to do it all for Him, who gave everything for us!

It’s been said many times before, but it wasn’t about me at all. To an unbeliever, that sounds terrible. But if He isn’t in your life, then things are terrible, indeed. I’ve been there for 40 years, and I can look back at it, knowing I’ll never go back there again, and will do everything I can to bring more out of their aimless wandering in the desert as well.

My second revelation

So I want to share with you a revelation that may also spark something in you as well: every single thing I’ve learned…every skill, every bit of knowledge…and every talent and knack and interest He’s imbued me with…have all converged into an armory He has been piecing together for me to use on a daily basis to glorify Him.

So it’s not all about where I work, or the perfect job or career. It’s about giving my all to Him in all I do, no matter where I do it, or what I am doing. I could move boxes or scrub toilets all day, as long as I do my best for Him.

Since the ‘80s, I’ve been on computers, creating things to communicate and connect with others through images, video, animation, and writing. Over the decades, the tools have changed, but the aim was always the same: to reach out and get people on the same page…to convince, to educate, to inform. Today, many of those tools are on the web, and on mobile devices. The ability to virally reach thousands—or thousands of times THAT!—is staggering. And now, I have a target: the world.

He equipped us for the Great Commission

Neither my testimony—nor yours—was not meant to be bottled up. That fire that burns in our hearts for Christ is a light that should be atop a hill for all to see…for people to want to ask about, and want for themselves as well.

If you actually sat down and cataloged everything you know how to do, and your talents and skills, you’d also be surprised at the amazing armament He’s pieced together for you to get out there and fight the good fight. And if you’ve maybe gotten caught up in your circumstance (I know I often do), I hope this message helps remind you that you are gloriously empowered by Him to be His hands and feet. We were equipped to be life savers. You just have to realize it.

Show everyone in the good times how He provides. Show everyone in the hard times how He carries you when you would otherwise give up. Show everyone His love, even when they may not be loving to you.

Our purpose here on earth is so much higher and loftier than our mere selves…and how amazing it is to be entrusted with a greater purpose that can change hearts and save lives!

It’s amazing…I would never have uttered such words before the summer of 2013. And now, I want to do nothing less than tell everyone those words. I want to tell my story.

Prayer

Father,

THANK YOU for saving me from a sad life of aimless wandering. Thank you for giving me hindsight to appreciate the miracles you have worked in my life, and the the works you have equipped and commissioned me to do, for I now have a GLORIOUS purpose and mission to undertake. What a great adventure! Thank you for the siblings you give me in Christ who can help me in my walk. For what your Son has done for me and my sins, I want to do nothing less than my all to tell His story, and how it has forever changed mine. Please remind me of the amazing armaments you have given me to make you known, and to lift me when my strength fails. I want to show the world how you work through me.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen.