WHY DO WE DO WHAT WE DO?
In other words, just what is it that drives us to action, to
speech, or even to thought? What makes
us act a certain way, or say the things we say, or let our minds run rampant
with the things we think about? All good
questions, right? And they all deserve
answers – honest answers, for sure. Why
should we care? Well, let’s put it this
way: God has given us one life to
live here on earth, and none of us have a clue today just how many days of our
lives remain. I am not trying to be morbid – that’s not me. And we have just celebrated Memorial Day weekend, so this message seems timely enough. Plus, in these days that seem to be
unraveling around us, so filled with hate-incited acts against others, these
words could be for any day!
Just recently, my husband and I and one of our sons
traveled to North Dakota to attend the funeral of one of my husband’s
step-uncles. Ninety-one years old, he
had lived a long and good life. But was
good – good enough? My husband knew
Daniel, but my time in his presence was minimal at best. But this day, as one of his son-in-laws
stepped to the front of the church to share about Daniel’s life – I was
suddenly drawn in and began to “see and know” this man for who he was. A devoted husband, dad, and grandpa. He loved the land he farmed and found much
joy in being outdoors. He faithfully
served his church and his community. But
then, this son-in-law, who in high school was known to have had the
“spirituality of a fencepost” (disclaimer:
not MY words!), began to talk from his heart with great emotion and I
soon saw who Daniel really was! He was not a preacher or an evangelist, a
missionary or a Sunday School teacher.
Yet everyone around him could not help but see how he lived out his
personal faith in God. No sermon was
needed. Daniel’s life did the
talking: in how he loved and treated his
family when no one else was looking; in his honesty and integrity when dealing
with others in business or on boards; in the absence of cutting words and harsh
judgments of others; in how he spent his time on priorities that meant the most
to him. This son-in-law said that when
he married his wife (Daniel’s daughter), you kind of married the entire
family. And Daniel’s quiet but visible
faith in God spoke volumes to this new son-in-law’s life, and though I do not
have a time-line, you could not mistake the fact that he had become a follower
of Christ, too. The words flowed from
his heart and spilled over with love for this man now having completed his life
on earth … and for the Man, Jesus Christ, who was now his own personal
Savior. What a legacy for Daniel to
leave behind! And now I will ask this
question again: what makes a man do what
he does? While I do not have the answer
to what caused Daniel to receive Christ into his heart and choose to live life
the way he did – I can definitely attest to the truth that his son-in-law was
impacted by an example of Christ-like living so compelling that he could do
nothing else but decide to follow Christ and aspire to live the same way that
Daniel did! What a legacy!
A legacy is what we leave
behind us as a gift to those who follow us, and in all reality, we will
leave “something”. What will it be? And do we get to choose what we will pass on
to those we love? Of course we do! In truthful reality, given the choice of
leaving a huge inheritance of property or monetary worth to our family … or … the
gift of ourselves – our love, time, and attention; our experiences, laughter,
and wisdom; and most importantly, our faith in God and teaching it by example to
those who follow us by living it purely, simply and genuinely before them –
WHICH do you think our children and ongoing generations would prefer?
Dad’s ~ Father’s Day is just around the corner! Whether you know it or not, your sphere of
influence is great, and the “ripple-effect” of what you choose your legacy to be
will carry on from generation to generation!
Your fervent prayers will be effective not only on this earth – but they
carry eternal value for each of your family’s lives! Are you pleased with what you think your
legacy will be? If not, there is no time
like the present to begin to create a new legacy with God’s help that WILL make
the difference you desire it to! We love
you, dads … and for who you are and all you are, we celebrate you with honor
and respect!
Back to the question in my opening paragraph: why do we do what we do? The simple, truthful
answer according to God’s Word is that out of our heart comes our words, our
actions, and our thoughts. And only we
can individually choose what to receive into our hearts. We are the ones that purposely place things
in our hearts. Sometimes we just allow
things in. And on occasion we are not
alert and discerning enough to keep things out.
So whatever we do, whatever we say, and whatever we are thinking ~ is
all on us! We get to make those choices;
God lets us because He has given us free will.
When we receive Him into our heart, He teaches us what to do and what
not to do. But when we reject Him and we
want our own way, even to our detriment … He lets us have our own way! So you
see how very important our life choices are to what becomes our legacy! Little choices and major ones. They all become a piece of what we leave
behind. The best question we can ask
ourselves today is, will THIS choice glorify my God and make my legacy a
spiritual treasure that lasts even into eternity? God’s Spirit will give us the answer!
REMEMBER . . .
Here are God’s instructions to help us make
right choices instead of learning the hard way:
“You shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your might.
and these
words that I command you today shall be on your heart.
You shall
teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit
in your house,
and when you
walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
~ Deuteronomy
6:5-7
Joyfully Serving Christ . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
