Word of the Week - The Gift of Life

"Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” 2 Corinthians 4:16

Life is a gift  - “Life – A precious gift from God” Psalm 139:14.  Every day that we have on this earth is a gift from God and having that perspective is truly a blessing.  This is the principal of a “Heart of Gratitude” and it is a godly perspective that brings life.  If we really think about it, the fact that we are alive and breathing is a gift from God and we should rejoice and be thankful.  Life is fragile and can be taken in an instant, so count each day as a blessing and a gift.  This in itself is enough, but God is so good that he blesses us with so much more such as our family, friends and the opportunities to live and enjoy life through relationship with Him and others in our ministry, life work and recreation. 

Count your blessings - I am celebrating my 55th year on earth this week and as I reflect on my life this morning, I am almost overwhelmed by the amazing blessings I have been given from God.  From a heart of gratitude with thanksgiving to the Lord, I would like to acknowledge just a few of my blessing to include:  My dear wife Amy who I am growing deeper in love with after 32 years of marriage, we are more excited about our future and growing old together.  My 3 amazing daughters Mary Kathryn, Saige and Isabella who love God and are walking with Him.  My six precious grandkids Selah, John Michael, Lilly and Hazel, Neriah and Kyle with another one on the way and due in March, who are the joy of my heart like sunshine on a clear spring morning.  My two godly sons-in-law JD and Blake who are great husbands, fathers and providers for our daughters and grandkids, and my favorite duck hunting padnahs. My loving and supportive dad who is still active at 84 years old along with my wonderful sister Leslie and brother Mike and their families, who I love dearly and treasure spending time with.  My band of brothers/close friends, too many to name, who have stood with me through the challenges of life and whom I have shared many great times, laughing and enjoying life together, especially at Heritage Farms.  My church family lead by my friend and pastor Chris Hodges who led me to Christ 22 years ago and is a spiritual father to me.  Our growing business Founders Advisors that will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this spring, co-led with my two great and godly partners, Wesley Legg and Zane Tarence along with an amazing team I feel privileged to lead.  And the list goes on and on.  I surely don’t deserve any of this but I am tremendously grateful for every blessing and want to make the most if it for God’s kingdom and glory.

Making the most of life  - “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12  There is a saying I heard at JH Ranch “We only live once but if we live well, once is enough”.  I believe that this is true if we live our lives in Christ and ask for His wisdom to direct us in our daily lives.  I believe the key to living this way is understanding that our lives and our blessings are a gift from God that we get to steward while we are on this earth.  This godly perspective is a game changer that gives us a more eternal God perspective.  The paradox of giving to receive “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses life for me will find it”. Matthew 16:25  The way we make the most of life and get our lives ordered towards God’s priorities is through abiding in Christ.  His spirit leads us and directs us along the way.  “I am the vine and you are the branches, if you abide in me I will abide in you and your will bear much fruit.  Apart from me you can do nothing”.  John 15:5 

Living the abundant life in Christ – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full” John 10:10.  Out of all the abundant blessings I have experienced in my nearly 55 years on this earth, I can truly say that the most precious blessing I have experienced to date was coming to know Jesus in a personal way almost 22 years ago.  It was truly a game changer that has allowed me to grow and flourish in every area of my life.  I was truly born of the spirit and my eyes were opened to whole new way, God’s way.  I cannot properly articulate in words what I experienced but I can relate with the blind man in John 9:25 “He replied, “whether He is a sinner or not, I don’t know.  One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see!” 

Pruning is Part of the Process of Growth and Maturity – During my 55th year of life I was reminded that if we truly desire to be all God has called us to be then we must be willing to embrace the principle of cutting and pruning.  “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:1 This is not necessarily a fun process and surely not a refrigerator scripture for most of us, but it is part of the refining process of our walk of faith and maturity in Christ.  Pruning is how God answers our prayers when we pray for God’s abundant blessings and that He will make us more like Jesus.  When we are praying that our lives will please Him more and have a greater impact for eternity.  In desiring to grow and go deeper in the things of God, if we choose and allow Him, God our gardener cuts and prunes to remove things that are dead and not productive from our lives to make room for sunlight and nutrience to get to all fruit-bearing branches;  to increase the quality and quantity of the fruit; and to encourage new fruit to develop.  This is the path to abundance, we must all be cut and pruned from time to time.  He must first cut away parts of our lives that drain precious time and energy from what is truly important.  To allow the sunlight and nutriance to flow to the most fruitful areas of our lives so we can live in our highest and best use.  Live to our full potential in Christ.  His plan for pruning is not random – He works in each of our lives uniquely to find what needs to but pruned so that we might bear our best fruit.  If we understand that this is part of the process then we can “Count it pure joy” as outlined in James 1:2-4 “whenever you face trials of many kinds (cutting/pruning), because you know the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Life is a gift so let’s live life to the full by being renewed in Christ day by day.  This is the abundant life!!!!!!

You are a blessing to me,

-Duane