364 Days from Today

364 days from today we will be putting 2012 into the history books. What will you accomplish with those days? Taking a trip to nowhere can be a delightful experience on a sunny Summer Saturday afternoon in my Miata. But, when I need to be at a meeting in a town 60 miles away by 9 AM on Tuesday, I am sure that I know the final address and the route that will get me there on time. Stephen Covey teaches that a person who desires real success always ‘begins with the end in mind.’ (7 Habits of Highly Effective People) “Start with a clear understanding of your destination. … It is incredibly easy to be caught up in an activity trap, to work harder and harder at climbing the ladder of success only to find it has been leaning on the wrong wall,” he writes.

At the opening of this new year, ask yourself this question and answer it with relentless honesty: Is my life a trip to nowhere or a purposeful walk with God into His will?

The question takes greater urgency when we start to understand that our time here is finite. The annual calendar change is a potent reminder of mortality, and after that, accountability. Therefore, choices need to be made today that will allow us to close our sojourn on this orb with joy. As I sorted through my Mom’s stuff after her death in October, it was clear that her choices were consistently guided by principle not expedience. Many years ago she chose to say an unqualified yes to God, then to her husband. She loved both intensely. She made sacrifices for her Lord and my Dad, and the cost of decision to love and serve became more evident as I realized how many other dreams and desires she had abandoned in order to possess a godly life. She did not die wealthy or famous, but she left an rich legacy of lives touched by love and wisdom. While many things came into her life that were unanticipated she never wandered from the Way that gave meaning to her life.

Jesus teaches us to know His Word and His will, not merely as sentiment, but as principle. He told about two builders, one who set his life house on a solid foundation, one who did not. The storms of life blew over both. The one who had built without foundations found his life in ruins. But for the other, there was this outcome: "The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." (Matthew 7:25, NIV) We lay the foundation for a life of success in part by knowing the kind of person the Spirit wants us to be. Then, we build toward that goal.

·         You will not accidentally become a great parent or spouse. It will happen only if you determine what one looks like and develop a strategy to make it happen.

·         You will not find financial freedom suddenly by winning the lottery. Even if you found a windfall, if your understanding of about owning things is wrong, you still would be enslaved by stuff! You will gain financial freedom by determining to live within your means, being giving, and sticking by your principles.

·         You will not become a person of influence by waiting for people to find you in front of your TV. You will become one when you get involved with others, learn to listen and love like Jesus, and help to carry their burdens.

·         You will not become spiritually mature with a character that is solid and deep by chasing the mirage of endless pleasure. You will grow in grace as you learn to pray and listen for the Spirit’s voice, responding with faithful obedience.

364 days from today will you be full of regret or joy? Decide today!  Take a cue from young Samuel’s prayer. Pray often as he did. "Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” (1 Samuel 3:10, NKJV)

Through this week, find a time to pray, alone with God, each day. As you listen, let yourself dream. Jot down the impressions that emerge. Prayerfully review and refine them into a short personal mission statement that specifically defines the things that you want to do, the person you want to be, by the end of 2012. Begin to live on purpose, for God’s glory. 364 days from now you will be able to say, "But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace." (1 Corinthians 15:10, NLT)

______________

Spirit of the living God,
fall afresh on me;

Spirit of the living God,
fall afresh on me.

Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.

Spirit of the living God,
fall afresh on me.

-      Dan Iverson