May 11, 2006
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I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7
When D. L. Moody was moving into old age, he was asked to grant permission for his biography. Moody refused, saying, A mans life should never be written while he is living. What is important is how a man ends, not how he begins.
For better or worse, I have failed to follow that dictum. My biography has been published. Yet I agree with Moody that the way our lives end is the crucial test of authentic discipleship. Only if we remain in a steadfast relationship with the Savior can we be confident not merely of entering heaven, but of obtaining the victors crown (1 Corinthians 9:25).
Paul was concerned about the possibility of being disapproved by his Lord (v.27). He was a redeemed believer who was serving the Lord, yet he feared that his service might prove to be wood, hay, and straw rather than gold, silver, and precious stones (1 Corinthians 3:12-13).
What will be the Lords appraisal of our lives? Will someone evaluating us be able to say honestly that we continued to bear fruit in old age? (Psalm 92:14). Whatever vocation we pursue, with the help of the Holy Spirit we may be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful,
May the fire of our devotion light their way;
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe,
And the lives we live inspire them to obey. Mohr
© 1987 by Jonathan Mark Music and Birdwing Music (ASCAP)
For the ignorant, old age is as winter; for the learned, it is a harvest. Jewish proverb
Good evening Mayor! Hope you are having a great week. I met your "neighbor", NYTexan, and traveled all over the heart of Texas with him, and he is soooooo nice!
Thanks for our beautiful lesson from God's Word!