I’m about to hit the 62-year-old mark, and I’ve been thinking a lot about what I have accomplished. I’m never satisfied with the results until I know I’ve done all that I can do. However, I wonder if I’m going to ever do anything significant for God, if He is even going to use me in a semi-major way, or am I simply going to while away the years with mundane and minuscule activity.
As I contemplated this for many days, and prayed much about it, I realized that it doesn’t matter. I just have to be faithful in whatever it is that God deems proper for me to be involved in. That means I am accountable for every day, for every moment of opportunity, and for what I can do to minister to every soul I meet.
This morning as I was praying and meditating, I thought about yesterday. I went over my activity during the day and wondered if I had been faithful to my calling. I decided that the end of each day—or better yet, at the beginning of the next day—I would ask myself the following questions.
- Am I a better person for what I did today?
- Have my accomplishments today ministered to or blessed anyone?
- Has my behavior caused any one to consider accepting Christ as Lord and Savior?
- Did I make an attempt to know and obey God’s will?
- What did I do today that will register for eternity?
- Did I waste any time, money, or other valuable resources?
- Were the most important people in my life treated as such (with opportunity of course)?
- How much life did I spend worrying about the things, events, and people that aggravated or frustrated me?
- Am I satisfied with how I spent my life today?
- Is God satisfied with how I spent my life today?
I may alter the list as I go forward, but I’m determined that I will not waste life complaining about it. Somehow, I will accomplish something, even if it is so small that no one notices it but God. I hope you do too.
I’ve just been looking around your website and came upon this. Even though it was written nearly five years ago it spoke into my life today. So there you go, the very thing you were talking about with regards to questioning if you’ve impacted the planet for Christ, you have done so in my life today. Though I am a Christian already I do come under attack from the enemy as to being insignificant and ineffective. But you know what, I think that alongside all the other heresies and lies in the churches we had to leave, there’s a nasty little falsehood that can still persuade us to get down – we’ve equated effective work for God with churchianity. You may say oh but I’ve dealt with all that as did I, but have we? There’s a scripture I love that takes the pressure off – But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear 1 Peter 3:15