Fight for your future!

Have you ever been in a fight?

I have not been in many physical fights where fists were thrown but I have been in my share of other fights.

I have verbally fought with my wife, my coworkers, my parents, and some of my neighbors.

I have mentally fought with people who challenge what I believe.

I have even emotionally fought through the pains I have experienced in my life.

Some of those fights we worthy of my efforts but some, not so much.

Like some of the fights I have with my wife were selfish and didn’t help our relationship.

Some of the emotional fights I had were over things that weren’t true.

But there is one fight I think we should never give up on.

This fight is with anyone in particular, it is’t one that people can necessarily witness with their eyes.

While this fight is happening now, it’s rewards will only be discovered in the future.

This Fight is the “Fight for your Future.”

Be Careful who you follow!

I grew up in Washington State in a small town not unlike Shenandoah. I remember one year we had a severe storm just pop up on us. I wasn’t at home, and was trying to drive home in a winter storm where you could barely see 20 feet in front of you. I was on a familiar stretch of road, but couldn’t see well, but I did notice there were car tracks on the road. Because the road was covered in snow, I decided to follow the tracks. As I was driving I noticed we went down an abrupt hill, I thought to myself, “I don’t remember this steep hill.” But the tracks went that way, so I was determined to follow. Eventually I saw the car I was following, it was stopped seeming to be stuck. When I got out to see if I could help them get unstuck, there was a little old lady in the drivers seat who seemed very apologetic saying, “I’m so sorry I’m not sure where I am, can you help me find this address.”

As I looked around I noticed we had driven off the road, into a field. I discovered I was following someone who did not know the area very well and was lost!

When you choose to follow someone, make sure they know where they are going, and that their destination is where you want to end up!

You will find the world has no shortage of people who know exactly where you need to go and how to get there, but be careful who you follow!

Proverbs 14:12 “12 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”

There are a lot of people out there who will tell you they have the truth. But only Jesus has said,

John 14:6 “6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

The only way you can avoid living in a lie, is to have the truth of Jesus!

Don’t trade a 2 dollar bill for 4 quarters.

I have a 9 yr old, Eli, and when he was younger, I could get him to trade me a 2 dollar bill for four quarters. In his mind at that young age, 4 was more than one so trading a 2 dollar bill for four quarters seemed legit. The problem was he didn’t understand the true worth of the 2 dollar bill he owned and so he was willing to trade it away.

An items value is often different to different people. My brother has a bookcase that my grandfather built for my mom and dad. My grandfather has been gone for 20 years or so. To most people that book case would be worth about $50 to maybe $75, but to our family it is worth much more than that.

Knowing the true value of something will go a long way living a joy-filled life.

Some things you shouldn’t trade away easily because they are the hardest to get back…

your integrity - the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

In construction they talk about a buildings integrity - they are referring to is ability to remain standing, even under pressure

sometimes we will be tempted to do something wrong to fast-track our career

just like a landslide starts with a small rock, so will your integrity slide with a small wrong choice.

don’t trade your integrity for a payday, to get out of trouble, or to please others!

your faith

For most of you graduates, your faith, as you leave the covering of your parents will either grow stronger or fade away. The question is, which will it do?

Don’t trade what you hold to be true about God for any other relationships

Don’t trade your faith in for the comforts of life

There is something you should trade,

Trade your doubt for the certainty of God’s word.

Trade your sin for the forgiveness God offers

Trade your instant short-lived gratification for eternal satisfaction in God.

Trade your physical temporary accomplishments and possessions for an eternal reward.

Jesus tell his listeners and us in Matthew 6:19–21 “19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Don’t let others define success for you!

I bet if I asked each of you to describe success I would get as many different answers as people.

I would like everyone to close their eyes for a moment, now think for a quick couple seconds what it looks like to be successful.

Most people would describe a quantity of possessions or quantity of influence and power when they describe success.

But if that was true why do rich and famous people kill themselves? Maybe because success is not achieved through what you do, but who you are!

1 John 2:15–17 “15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”

It doesn’t matter if you deliver mail, pick up garbage, work in an office or work out of your car. Whea stay at home mom, or