Sundays with Kristi - Living to Die
We’re all going to die someday. I hate to bring up the morbidly obvious, but it is a truth that we all must face at some point.
Recognizing and accepting this certainty of death allows us a unique advantage in how we choose to live with whatever time we have. In the Bible, the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 9 addresses the fact that our time here on earth is limited. Still, God created us as eternal beings, so death is not the end for us. Because of this, we are to examine our attitudes and actions in this life, recognizing that they have eternal consequences.
Our Attitude
No matter what we do or don’t do, whether we are righteous or wicked, obedient or disobedient, good or evil, we are all in the hands of God. God is in complete control of all things. We can trust God to hold us and to know more fully what we should be doing and not doing than we could ever possibly know. How should we respond to this truth? Our response should first be repentance. We have all tried to take control of situations that weren’t ours to control in the first place. With an attitude of repentance, we allow God to take all the responsibility for what He’s capable of controlling and we are free to enjoy life the way God meant us to enjoy it, trusting in Him for everything that we have and everything that we need. This attitude is immensely freeing as we realize we don’t have to get so caught up being responsible for and managing circumstances we can’t control anyway.
Our Actions
After addressing what our attitude should be in light of the fact that we will one day face death, we need to focus on what actions we should be taking during the time that we are given. Our attitude can have a profound effect on our actions. Once we’ve addressed and corrected our attitude, our actions typically fall into place. God knows the plans He has for us and what He wants us to focus on, but like it says in Ecclesiastes 9, verse 10, whatever we find to do, we should do it with all our might for His glory. Once we have our attitude of fear and worry surrendered to God, we can be free to act on the trust that we have in Him. This does not mean acting foolishly or recklessly, but instead this is about acting as Jesus Christ would have us to act in each situation we encounter.
Even though we are all going to die someday, our lives now matter. Our attitude is to be in line with God and surrendered to Him, recognizing that He is in control over everything anyway. Our actions are to be a reflection of Jesus Christ living in us as we place our trust and reliance on Him for everything we need.
Father, I give my attitudes and my actions to You. I know that my time here on earth is limited, but my time with You is for eternity. Keep me focused on this perspective so that I respond in trust and reliance on You in every situation I face today.
Kristi Burchfiel, Christian devotional author and speaker
Living in the World – Living out the Word
Check out my website and daily devotions either on my blog or on my Facebook page
The Price of Trust ~ Christian Romantic Suspense
http://www.booksbyamanda.com
Recognizing and accepting this certainty of death allows us a unique advantage in how we choose to live with whatever time we have. In the Bible, the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 9 addresses the fact that our time here on earth is limited. Still, God created us as eternal beings, so death is not the end for us. Because of this, we are to examine our attitudes and actions in this life, recognizing that they have eternal consequences.
Our Attitude
No matter what we do or don’t do, whether we are righteous or wicked, obedient or disobedient, good or evil, we are all in the hands of God. God is in complete control of all things. We can trust God to hold us and to know more fully what we should be doing and not doing than we could ever possibly know. How should we respond to this truth? Our response should first be repentance. We have all tried to take control of situations that weren’t ours to control in the first place. With an attitude of repentance, we allow God to take all the responsibility for what He’s capable of controlling and we are free to enjoy life the way God meant us to enjoy it, trusting in Him for everything that we have and everything that we need. This attitude is immensely freeing as we realize we don’t have to get so caught up being responsible for and managing circumstances we can’t control anyway.
Our Actions
After addressing what our attitude should be in light of the fact that we will one day face death, we need to focus on what actions we should be taking during the time that we are given. Our attitude can have a profound effect on our actions. Once we’ve addressed and corrected our attitude, our actions typically fall into place. God knows the plans He has for us and what He wants us to focus on, but like it says in Ecclesiastes 9, verse 10, whatever we find to do, we should do it with all our might for His glory. Once we have our attitude of fear and worry surrendered to God, we can be free to act on the trust that we have in Him. This does not mean acting foolishly or recklessly, but instead this is about acting as Jesus Christ would have us to act in each situation we encounter.
Even though we are all going to die someday, our lives now matter. Our attitude is to be in line with God and surrendered to Him, recognizing that He is in control over everything anyway. Our actions are to be a reflection of Jesus Christ living in us as we place our trust and reliance on Him for everything we need.
Father, I give my attitudes and my actions to You. I know that my time here on earth is limited, but my time with You is for eternity. Keep me focused on this perspective so that I respond in trust and reliance on You in every situation I face today.
Kristi Burchfiel, Christian devotional author and speaker
Living in the World – Living out the Word
Check out my website and daily devotions either on my blog or on my Facebook page
**Excerpts from above are taken from Without Regrets: A Study of Ecclesiastes**
The Price of Trust ~ Christian Romantic Suspense
http://www.booksbyamanda.com
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Karen
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Aug 11, 2012 04:54PM
This was a beautiful approach to a hard subject.
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