Good morning everyone,
What are you living for today? Are you looking forward to some much needed downtime, outdoor activities with the family, an out of town road trip, or catching up on chores around the house? We all have daily plans and schedules, but what are you really living for? Some say, “I live for the weekend….I live for my children….I live for work….I live to get ahead.” There are all kinds of responses, but if someone is living first and foremost for the people, things, and circumstances of this earth, they will sooner or later be left without a purpose. The weekend comes to a close Sunday night. The kids grow up and move out. The job is cut or retirement arrives. The game or activity which used to be so much fun, doesn’t have the attraction it once did. Summer quickly turns into fall. Solomon says of it: “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless” (Eccl. 1:2). Then what is there to live for and be excited about?
Paul writes: “To live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). The apostle, I’m sure, appreciated a good meal, a leisurely weekend, time with friends, and maybe sitting in the stands with other fans to watch a race or some other athletic competition. But those things were not what his life was all about. He didn’t live for them, but for the Lord, who had lived and died for Paul. Through faith in Christ, he was a child of God and heir of heaven. That was something to be excited about every day of his life. He had a meaningful purpose in life, far more important than just paying the bills and waiting for the weekend. He was a witness of Jesus to others. He had the privilege of sharing the good news of a Savior from sin with fellow sinners wherever he went. Each day brought him new opportunities to live for the Lord.
When you wonder, “What am I doing? What’s the point? Does today really matter?” remember that you, too, are a child of God by faith in Jesus. He has paid for all your sins and made peace between you and God. He lives in you by the working of the Holy Spirit. He has a purpose for you today and a home for you in eternity. Live for Him. John sums up God’s will as to “believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us” (1 Jn. 3:23). Look around and you will see opportunities to put Christ’s love into practice wherever you are today. Live for Him every day!
In the sermon text (Eph. 5:15-20) St. Paul urges us to carefully and wisely use our time as the precious gift from God that it is. We are still on our summer schedule tomorrow, services at 8:00 and 9:30 a.m. See you then.
In His name,
Pastor
