LIVE LIKE TODAY MATTERS
The older I get, the more I realize just how short life really is. I have experienced some incredible victories in my life, but I have also experienced failure. I have made mistakes, been rejected, been criticized, lost relationships I thought would last forever, and taken risks that worked out and others that did not. I have had seasons where I wondered what in the world God was doing. Through it all, I have learned something important: life is too short to live afraid.
We spend way too much time worrying about what other people think about us. We worry about failing, being embarrassed, being rejected, or making the wrong decision. Sometimes we become so afraid of what could go wrong that we never step out and discover what God might do. At some point, you have to realize that people are going to judge you anyway. If you succeed, someone will criticize you. If you fail, someone will criticize you. If you take a risk, someone will tell you why you shouldn't have; if you play it safe, someone will tell you you should have done more. So why spend your life trying to please everybody? Paul said, "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a slave of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10, LSB)
I have reached a place in my life where I would rather take a step of faith and fail than spend the rest of my life wondering what might have happened if I had trusted God and tried. Failure does not have to destroy you. Sometimes failure teaches you lessons success never could. Mistakes do not have to define you, so learn from them. Rejection does not determine your value, so keep moving. Shame does not own you because, if you are in Christ, there is “now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1, LSB).
Losing people can be one of the hardest parts of life. There are people I thought would always be part of my life who are no longer there. Some relationships are for a lifetime, while others are for a season. You love people, forgive people, pray for people, and sometimes you have to let people go. You cannot allow someone else's decision to walk away to stop you from walking where God is leading you. You keep moving forward, and most importantly, you keep following Jesus.
James 4:14 says, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” (LSB) That verse hits differently the older you get. Life really is a vapor. One minute you are young and convinced you have all the time in the world, and then suddenly decades have passed. Your children are grown, your body reminds you you are not 25 anymore, and you begin to realize how precious every day really is.
That realization has changed the way I want to live. I want to tell my wife I love her and make sure my kids know how proud I am of them. I want to spend time with the people God has placed in my life. I want to preach the Gospel while God gives me breath, build things that matter, take some risks, help people, make disciples, laugh more, worry less, forgive quicker, and stop wasting energy trying to convince people who have already made up their minds about me. Most importantly, I want to finish faithfully.
People often say, “Live every day like it is your last.” I understand the sentiment, but as a pastor and follower of Jesus, I would say it differently: "Live every day like you are going to stand before Jesus." Because one day you will. Hebrews 9:27 says, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” (LSB) That truth changes the way I look at life. I don't want to reach the end of my life having simply accumulated things, made money, built organizations, written books, preached sermons, or accomplished goals. I want my life to have mattered for eternity.
When my life is over, I want to stand before Jesus knowing that, imperfect as I was, I kept getting back up. I kept following. I kept believing. I kept serving. I kept loving people. I kept preaching the Gospel. I kept running the race He set before me. I know I will make mistakes along the way. I know there will be critics. I know there will be rejection, disappointment, failure, and people who walk away. None of those things change the calling God has placed on my life.
You cannot change yesterday, and you are not promised tomorrow, but God has given you today. So love your family. Forgive somebody. Make the phone call. Take the trip. Start the ministry. Build the business. Write the book. Share the Gospel. Take the step God has been putting on your heart. Stop letting fear of failure or other people's opinions keep you from obeying God.
Eventually, one of these days really will be your last. When that day comes, I do not want my story to be about everything I was afraid to do. I want it to be about a man who trusted Jesus, loved his family, served people, preached the Gospel, took some risks, made plenty of mistakes, got back up when he fell, and kept following Christ until there were no more steps left to take.
Life is short. Eternity is long. Make your life count for something eternal.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Jody Burkeen
We spend way too much time worrying about what other people think about us. We worry about failing, being embarrassed, being rejected, or making the wrong decision. Sometimes we become so afraid of what could go wrong that we never step out and discover what God might do. At some point, you have to realize that people are going to judge you anyway. If you succeed, someone will criticize you. If you fail, someone will criticize you. If you take a risk, someone will tell you why you shouldn't have; if you play it safe, someone will tell you you should have done more. So why spend your life trying to please everybody? Paul said, "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a slave of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10, LSB)
I have reached a place in my life where I would rather take a step of faith and fail than spend the rest of my life wondering what might have happened if I had trusted God and tried. Failure does not have to destroy you. Sometimes failure teaches you lessons success never could. Mistakes do not have to define you, so learn from them. Rejection does not determine your value, so keep moving. Shame does not own you because, if you are in Christ, there is “now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1, LSB).
Losing people can be one of the hardest parts of life. There are people I thought would always be part of my life who are no longer there. Some relationships are for a lifetime, while others are for a season. You love people, forgive people, pray for people, and sometimes you have to let people go. You cannot allow someone else's decision to walk away to stop you from walking where God is leading you. You keep moving forward, and most importantly, you keep following Jesus.
James 4:14 says, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” (LSB) That verse hits differently the older you get. Life really is a vapor. One minute you are young and convinced you have all the time in the world, and then suddenly decades have passed. Your children are grown, your body reminds you you are not 25 anymore, and you begin to realize how precious every day really is.
That realization has changed the way I want to live. I want to tell my wife I love her and make sure my kids know how proud I am of them. I want to spend time with the people God has placed in my life. I want to preach the Gospel while God gives me breath, build things that matter, take some risks, help people, make disciples, laugh more, worry less, forgive quicker, and stop wasting energy trying to convince people who have already made up their minds about me. Most importantly, I want to finish faithfully.
People often say, “Live every day like it is your last.” I understand the sentiment, but as a pastor and follower of Jesus, I would say it differently: "Live every day like you are going to stand before Jesus." Because one day you will. Hebrews 9:27 says, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” (LSB) That truth changes the way I look at life. I don't want to reach the end of my life having simply accumulated things, made money, built organizations, written books, preached sermons, or accomplished goals. I want my life to have mattered for eternity.
When my life is over, I want to stand before Jesus knowing that, imperfect as I was, I kept getting back up. I kept following. I kept believing. I kept serving. I kept loving people. I kept preaching the Gospel. I kept running the race He set before me. I know I will make mistakes along the way. I know there will be critics. I know there will be rejection, disappointment, failure, and people who walk away. None of those things change the calling God has placed on my life.
You cannot change yesterday, and you are not promised tomorrow, but God has given you today. So love your family. Forgive somebody. Make the phone call. Take the trip. Start the ministry. Build the business. Write the book. Share the Gospel. Take the step God has been putting on your heart. Stop letting fear of failure or other people's opinions keep you from obeying God.
Eventually, one of these days really will be your last. When that day comes, I do not want my story to be about everything I was afraid to do. I want it to be about a man who trusted Jesus, loved his family, served people, preached the Gospel, took some risks, made plenty of mistakes, got back up when he fell, and kept following Christ until there were no more steps left to take.
Life is short. Eternity is long. Make your life count for something eternal.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Jody Burkeen
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1 Comment
AMEN! ?? ✝️ GREAT blog!