I understand that the concept of being “poured out” as a drink offering may not sound very attractive to a lot of people. Who wants to give up their own “pursuit of happiness” and be “poured out” like an unused drink?

In Philippians 2:17, Paul writes: “Even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.”

However, I think it should be pointed out that there is a sense in which your life WILL be “poured out”, regardless of what you choose to do with it. Time is fleeting. Moments and hours and days and weeks and years rush by. Every week you read it on Facebook: “Is the weekend over already?” Weeks are spinning and zipping by.

If you are very young, it may seem like time is dragging to you, but the truth is, the older you get, the faster it seems to go. The hours and days of your life, your strength, your energy, are being poured out – and poured out quickly!

The soap opera “Days of Our Lives” famous opening sequence is actually very appropriate here: “Like sands from the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.”

That picture is right on target! Our hours, our days, are being poured out – one after the other, after the other. In a sense, every person’s life is being poured out. Some are pouring their lives out for their job. Some are pouring their lives out for sports. Some are pouring their lives out for their own “pursuit of happiness” (whatever that involves).

And the truth is, when you “pour out” your life like that, it can lead to a wasted life.

So the question is not WILL your life be poured out – (it inevitably will). The only question is, ON WHAT will you have it poured out?

In this life, you have a choice. You can choose to pour your life out on leisure and self-centered pleasures, on your personal “pursuit of happiness” – or you can choose to pour it out for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

Friends! We need to understand what the choice really is.

C.T. Studd who was a unique and devoted missionary, could look back on his life – a life some would say he “wasted” – poured it out – and say, “No, as I look back on my life, the only joys I have are in how I did what God told me to do.”

When you look back on your life, what are you going to rejoice in having done?

You are not going to find joy in countless hours spent watching television. You are not going to rejoice over how many hours you spent surfing the internet. You are not going to wish you spent more time watching football games.

You won’t even care about the awards that seemed so important to you, how much money you made, what kind of promotion you received, or how many “things” you accumulated. Your joy, when this life is over, is only going to be found in the ways that you “poured out” your life for the LORD. And that is all.

Remember Jesus said, “He who wishes to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake, will find it.”

Spend your life in serving yourself, and you will have lost it forever. But lose your life in serving the LORD, and you will have made an investment that will last forever.

 

In His Shadow,
~ Mary Lindow ^©

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” THE MESSENGER ” ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
Global Prayer Rooms

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Mary Lindow has a passion for encouraging others – all generations, careers or vocations to live expressing excellence through personal integrity, healthy accountability, and wise management of talents and skills. She’s a sought after keynote, inspirational, humorous speaker and teacher across the USA and internationally in Ministers & Spiritual leaders Conferences, and training seminars for various organizations.

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