Challenged To The Core - Del Brixey

Each moment we live brings us one moment closer to death. Our bodies are slowly succumbing to the persistent onslaught of the daily grind, against the finite capacity of our physical bodies to bear up under a load. Although, some of us are blessed with heartier genetic material than others, we all contribute to the degeneration of our bodies, hearty or not, when we neglect our need for proper rest, nutrition and exercise. However, my goal today is not to goad you into some new diet or exercise program, although it probably wouldn’t hurt any of us to take on that challenge, I just want you to consider whether or not you are “living well”. If you suddenly discovered that you had only ten more hours, months or years to live would you “live” differently? Unfortunately, it often takes the immediacy of such knowledge to change our perspective on life. Therefore, I want to give you a head start, why not try to “live well” today, in spite of not knowing when you will die?

Love people...
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” Proverbs 3:3-4

Egyptian royalty were often buried with their treasures, but even though their bodies and “things” have been preserved for us to view, they really didn’t get to take it with them and neither can we. Now I enjoy my “toys” just as much as the next guy, but my possessions will eventually fall apart someday. After my father died, my mother gave us certain items that he wanted us to have. Even though I still tease my sister about wanting the clock she received, every item has more value in the memories they evoke of our father than in their inherent worth as an object. I have his Bible that he used to read while falling asleep in the living room. It reminds me of his love for God, but also of the love that God gave him for helping people in need. To “live well” we need to love people.

Invest time…
“A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.” Proverbs 20:4

Living well also requires that we are shrewd investors of our time. Ten hours, ten months or ten years to live, it doesn’t much matter if we don’t invest it wisely in the lives of people. People are more important than things. We all have friends who would want to express their love for us at our funerals, but how many of those “people” will join us in heaven when they die because of the time we invested in their spiritual life? I don’t know about you, but I would like to have a large party at my funeral and in heaven, where person after person come just to share about how I brought them closer to Jesus. I have attended funerals of business associates where more was said about their fishing trips, than any relationship with God. If my friends talk more about my love for my “toys” than they do about my love for them and Jesus then something is wrong, very wrong.

Verbalize truth…
“A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction.” Proverbs 16:23

You might be asking yourself how you can live your life in such a way that your death will result in that kind of party at your funeral? The key is in how much you “verbalize truth” in the time you spend with the people you love. How often does God’s Word come up in your daily conversations? Do you share with people how much you depend on Him in your life? Are you discussing “truth” in a non-threatening, life-altering way, backed up by your personal experiences with God? The more we share with people what God has done and is doing in our life, the more those people will want to experience the same joy in their own life. One satisfied customer, telling a prospective customer about the thrills of their experience is money in the bank and another sign of “living well”!

Enjoy fruit…
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.” Proverbs 11:30

When you plant, water, weed and eventually taste the fruits of your labor from your summer garden you experience more than a good meal, it’s a feast! When you pick fruit off of a tree that you have cared for over the years it’s almost indescribable. What’s so fantastic about verbalizing truth with people is that you or another believer eventually gets to enjoy the fruit. You see as Christians we live in a “communal” relationship with other believers; sometimes we are the one who plants the seed or the one who waters and sooner or later we also have the privilege of picking the fruit. It’s an awesome experience when we are used by God to harvest the fruit of new believers before our very eyes.

Well, I don’t know how much time I have left to live, but I want to spend every day like it’s my last, doing the things that matter; loving people, investing my time, verbalizing truth and enjoying the fruit that God sends my way. How about you? Set aside some time today, not tomorrow, but today; “check your pulse” to see if you are “living well” or just making it through another very ordinary day.