At all times in my life I would like to be able to say that I am content, but not satisfied. (Philippians 4:11-13) There is a difference. As Christians, we will never be fully satisfied until we reach Heaven where we will no longer ‘see through a glass darkly’. We are on a journey, and to move on towards the destination is to be unsatisfied with one’s current position. “Farther up and further in,” is the call that so strongly tugs at a pilgrim’s heart.
A famous runner, Steve Prefontaine, said this: “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” While this quote carries much wisdom in and of itself, I submit to you that it is more than that. To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift that God has given you. What we have is not our own, anything we possess is on loan; we are stewards of the King! It is a weighty responsibility, and not one to be taken lightly.
In anticipation of reading it soon, I was recently looking through John Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Life and was struck by an anecdote he gave in chapter one. He tells of a small plaque that hung over the kitchen sink in his parents’ home as he was growing up, and that now hangs in his own house by his front door so that he can see it each time he leaves his home. It is a simple plaque whose few short lines speak volumes:
‘Twill soon be past;
Only what’s done
for Christ will last.
In John Piper’s own words, “The message was clear. You get one pass at life. That’s all. Only one. And the lasting measure of that life is Jesus Christ.”
And that is the heart of the issue – nothing else really matters. Grasp hold of that vision, and you will grow ever closer to Christ and into the person He created you to be.
Every man holds a quill and ink
And there’s plenty of room for writing in
All we do is believe and think
So will you compose a curse
Or will today bring the blessing
Fill the page with rhyming verse
Or some random sketching
Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much…
Every day is a gift you’ve been given
Make the most of the time every minute you’re living…
-Chris Rice “Life Means So Much”
Don’t settle for good enough. There is more to this life than the status quo.
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” -2 Corinthians 4:7
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