Prayer Week 29: This Day

13,353. That is how many days I have been alive, give or take a few leap years. 13,353 opportunities to meet with God, to give the day to Him, to appreciate the days He has given me. Unfortunately, I have not taken advantage of most of them. That many days roll together so that it just becomes the same ol’ same ol’, running through the motions. We rarely take the time to appreciate something we have that seems to be a given, or to be intentional or eternally minded on a regular basis. It usually takes something drastic, even tragic, to wake us up so that we make the most of the time we have, but even that doesn’t last very long.

 

Psalm 118:24 New American Standard Bible 1995

This is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Ephesians 5:15-16 New International Version

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Colossians 3:1-3 New International Version

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

 

God does not want us to run through life moving from one moment to the next as if the physical and temporal are all there is to life. He doesn’t want us living for ourselves as if nothing we do really matters that much. God wants us to be intentional about everything because even the smallest action, choice or even inaction makes a difference and affects someone somehow. We need to be wise in our lives, not just in the big life choices, but in every choice, in everything we do. We need to be aware of the impact that everything we do has on eternity.

 

"Recently I asked a group of students, “What can people create that lasts the longest?” They paused, reflected, and they gave a few different answers including archaeological remains such as the Egyptian pyramids and Machu Pichu.

Then I followed up with another question: “Can humans create anything that lasts forever?” They reflected again for a brief period, but all agreed that the answer is no. After all, they said, everything eventually falls apart. Even though I pressed them for an answer, they concluded that humans are incapable of creating anything that lasts forever.

I simply replied, “I think you are missing something. With God’s power, humans can make something that lasts forever––other human beings.”

I went on to explain to them that God made humans as both body and soul (Matthew 10:28). Physical things in this world do fade away, including our present bodies, but each person has a soul that will never cease to exist, which will be joined to a new body in the resurrection. In fact, after a trillion, trillion, trillion years from now, you will have just as much time left in eternity as you do today. Mind-boggling.

This is why, as my friend Jeremy Pettitt observed, “Sex is the most powerful creative act in the universe. When a man and a woman come together in a sexual relationship, the possibility of creating an eternal soul/spirit arises. At the moment of conception, a new immortal soul/spirit has entered into eternity.”

Pause, and let this point sink in. Seriously, re-read the last few sentences and make sure you don’t miss that. God has created human beings with the capacity to create something that lasts forever—other human beings."

This excerpt is from Sean J McDowell's book Chasing Love.

 

If something so seemingly insignificant as sex has that kind of eternal power, what impact do our words and attitudes have? What about our choices and our capacity to influence others by what we do?

 

This week as you start each day, begin it by thinking “this is the day God has appointed for me. He has given me this day.” Embrace everything He brings into this day, every difficulty, disappointment, joy, victory, every circumstance. Consider them as a faith lab (for the negative) or a gift (for the positive) from God. Start each day determining that you will rejoice and live this day for God. Take the opportunity to be intentional about every thought, word, choice and interaction. See how you can make an impact for eternity every moment.

 Prayer points taken from Praying Through Adversity by Jennifer Kennedy Dean.