Now that I’m approaching 35 years old, I am hearing the march of time growing louder and louder in my ears and it is causing me to take stock of my life. Who was I then, who am I now and who am I becoming? And to be honest, I am realizing that I spent a lot of time on wasteful, frivolous crap! I valued things that were worthless and ignored things that were priceless. I spent so much time chasing after material comforts and spurned true discipline because it cost too much and would have taken me too far. The older I get, the more I am understanding the frailty of life and that my pitiful 70 or so years on this planet is nothing but a wisp of air in comparison to continuing jet stream of time. But the more startling revelation that I’ve gotten recently is that even though I’ve wasted most of my life and in comparison to all of creation, I am a meaningless ball of dust, I am ABSOLUTELY INVALUABLE to Jesus! To Him, my soul is sacred and He paid the ultimate price to have me and it is my solemn duty not to waste that.
I was reading about King David’s mighty warriors tonight in I Chronicles 11 and one particular story about 3 men that revered and loved David so much that they risked their lives for a drink of water. I Chronicles 11:17-19 “David remarked longingly to his men, “Oh how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.” So, the 3 broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem and brought it back to David. But David refused to drink it! Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the Lord. “God forbid that I should drink this!” he exclaimed. ”This water is as precious as the blood of these men who risked their lives to bring it to me.” So David did not drink it.“
I’m starting to see my life like that drink of water. For too long, I have allowed my life to be consumed by money, entertainment and sin because I saw no value in it. At best, I was a sinner saved by grace…at worst, well let’s not talk about that. But, in the eyes of Christ, I am so valuable that He broke through time and space to be born in a dirty barn, live in an obscure village in Palestine and die a hideous death on a cross…ALL so that He could have me! I did not come cheaply, I cost Jesus EVERYTHING! So, in honor of the price He paid, it is only fitting for me to pour out my life for Him. God forbid I would use my life for my own selfish gain and pleasure when it cost my King His life! God forbid that I would waste even 1 second of this life when every second belongs to Him! God forbid that I would waste my life! My solemn charge as a possession of Christ is to be poured out as a drink offering unto Him…completely and totally. Some may see it as waste but He sees it as worship and that’s all that really matters.
