Seize the Day!

"Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, or that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again" (Philippians 1:20-26).

Paul encourages us to live every day as if it is our last. We have heard this often in our lives, but we seldom do anything about it. Consider the things you have done this week. How often have you found yourself pondering the fact that you have wasted parts of your day and not accomplished the things you set out to do. Probably, more times than not, we have not even set out to do the right things. Be honest, if you knew that this week would be your last week on earth, would it not change your priorities? Could it be that our hearts do not cry out for God because we believe that it will be a long time before we see Him face to face? Most of us do not think about death and dying. We primarily believe that we will live forever (not really, we just act like that is our philosophy of life).

We would be amazed at how much deeper our walk with God would be if we truly expected to see Him soon. Maybe that is why Paul's life was a continual heartcry for God. He fully believed that Jesus was going to return in his lifetime. Later, when he realized that he was going to die soon, he wrote a letter to Timothy (2 Timothy) and shared with him some of the most vital things in ministry. Maybe we should realize that we do not have any guarantees and we do not know our Sovereign Lord's timetable. We do know that we are a part of His divine purpose and He calls upon us to live our lives to the fullest each and every day for His glory.

Joe Thorn relates the following in his book, "Note to Self," "Consider that God has ordered your days. He has given you a certain number of days to use for his glory and the good of those around you. What are you doing with the time you have?" I believe that is the question of utmost importance: What are we doing with the time we have been given? Are we living if for the glory of God? Come on my friends, Seize the Day!