Over the weekend, I took a trip to visit my alma mater, which means the place where I graduated from school! Every year Cornell has a beautiful Apple Festival with yummy apples, apple cider, apple cider donuts, and crafts. For the last six years, I've been able to make the trip to the Apple Fest, and it's always been a treasure hidden in the middle of a small town like Ithaca.
However, the highlight of my time in Ithaca was when I went to a retreat for college students hosted by Campus Crusade for Christ, or Cru for short. I was only able to stay for one of the messages, but I believe God divinely brought me to hear this particular message.
The message centered around the phrase ";Well done, my good and faithful servant." When we finally get to the gates of heaven and we are to go through everything we have done in our lifetimes, we will have to explain all the sinful things we have done, but we will also give an account of all the things that we have done that have been for Christ. The speaker encouraged us to examine our lives and determine, what things would spur God to say "Well done, my good and faithful servant." What things are we doing that will last for eternity?
What things are you doing that will last for eternity? I realize that this concept my seem abstract. How can we know what will last for eternity and what won't? Instead of agonizing over what those things can or can't be (because there really isn't a set of rules that can fully answer every decision you make), I would take some time and see if you, in your daily life, have God on your mind. When your mind wanders, when you are motivated to do something, when you are motivated not to do something, do you have God in mind? Do you have His fame and not yours in mind? Do you have His standards and His approval in mind? Or do you want to do things for yourself? For your parents? For your friends?
This is a hard concept to understand, and still challenges people who have been Christian their whole lives. I would suggest that if you want to know more, to read your Bible to find out more, to pray that God would reveal to you how this works, or to ask people you trust (parents, pastor, teachers, or me).
After hearing the message, I was motivated to stop fearing failure and to stop fearing the disappointment of people and really seek after what God would have me do with my life. In the end, His approval is what matters, not the approval of anyone or anything we can get here on earth.
Until next time,
The message centered around the phrase ";Well done, my good and faithful servant." When we finally get to the gates of heaven and we are to go through everything we have done in our lifetimes, we will have to explain all the sinful things we have done, but we will also give an account of all the things that we have done that have been for Christ. The speaker encouraged us to examine our lives and determine, what things would spur God to say "Well done, my good and faithful servant." What things are we doing that will last for eternity?
What things are you doing that will last for eternity? I realize that this concept my seem abstract. How can we know what will last for eternity and what won't? Instead of agonizing over what those things can or can't be (because there really isn't a set of rules that can fully answer every decision you make), I would take some time and see if you, in your daily life, have God on your mind. When your mind wanders, when you are motivated to do something, when you are motivated not to do something, do you have God in mind? Do you have His fame and not yours in mind? Do you have His standards and His approval in mind? Or do you want to do things for yourself? For your parents? For your friends?
This is a hard concept to understand, and still challenges people who have been Christian their whole lives. I would suggest that if you want to know more, to read your Bible to find out more, to pray that God would reveal to you how this works, or to ask people you trust (parents, pastor, teachers, or me).
After hearing the message, I was motivated to stop fearing failure and to stop fearing the disappointment of people and really seek after what God would have me do with my life. In the end, His approval is what matters, not the approval of anyone or anything we can get here on earth.
Until next time,
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