Your Future Starts Today

Exercise

I want you envision something with me....everyone close your eyes

Imagine you are on your way to a funeral

You arrive at the location, and get out of you car

Roses, fresh brisk of the wind, sound of rocks underneath your feet as you walk to the door.

You get to the door of the funeral home....it has the same type of smell that funeral homes typically have.

You see people standing around talking…consoling one another

You make your way to the casket

You look inside and see yourself

Its not you as you are now, but 50 plus years down the road

You take your seat with everyone else

One by one, your friends, family, sons, daughters, grandchildren, etc… get up and they start talking about your life and legacy.

Open your eyes

What would you want them to say?

Christian

You lived your life with a dedication to Jesus that inspired them and others

That you were giving of your time, money, and resources for the work of God and His church

That in a world that cared so much about worldy pursuits, you were grounded in the truth and God’s calling on your life

The way you handled suffering and disappointment inspired them

Relationships

That you were a loving husband and father, or wife and mother

That you were a friend that people could rely on, and they knew you had their back

Occupation or Ministry

That you lived with integrity

That you advanced in your field

That you did things with excellence and with all your heart

Your future

I know its hard to think about what the end of our life might look like…but here is why this is important.

A study from Columbia University showed that we make an average of 70 conscious decisions every day.

Over a life of 70 years, thats close to 2mil decisions.

Your life is a sum total of your choices

Your future starts today because you make choices today

So many people care so much about their future

They dream about what tomorrow could be, without any intentionality for today.

What you do today impacts tomorrow.

This principle is true in every area of our life

If I want to be a professional basketball player, what am I going to have to do today?

If I want to graduate college debt free, what am I going to have to do today?

If I want to pass that test next week with flying colors, what do I have to do today?

If I want to

be a Christian that has a strong relationship with Jesus,

that isn’t easily shaken by any new trend,

have impact in this earth through the gospel message,

I want to be a testimony of God in this earth, and I want others to know that God is first in my life

If I want to walk through life, even in its hardships, with a sense of peace knowing God is with me and that He loves me

If I want to stand firm on the truth even when the rest of the world is saying the opposite

If I want to stand up for what is right

If I want to be in the spiritual battle that is taking place in the world right now, and I want my life to count as much as it can for God and for the sake of the Gospel

What do I have to do today?

I want to challenge you with this question as a Christian

I want to talk about our choices today, and challenge you to envision what you want your relationship with God and kingdom impact to look like?

I’m not talking about being presumptuous

Every day I wake up, is a gift from God. Today might be my last day. I’m not guaranteed tomorrow.

Your relationship with God, your faith, your surrender and submission, being an ambassador for the Gospel does’t happen by default…it takes intention

In this world, you are going to have to be intentional

Everything is fighting for our attention

Everytime we might want to read our Bible and spend time in prayer

Netflix is right there saying just relax

Facebook, TikTok, Instagram are all right there saying, hey scroll through me

Your snooze button in the morning is saying, just sleep a little longer

If it’s not intentional, it’s not happening

Your future starts today

Run To Win

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.

26–27  I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.

This isn’t talking about fighting or running for your salvation

Expound

The Christian does not run the race in order to get to heaven. He is in the race because he has been saved through faith in Jesus Christ.

This has to do with your Christian reward our impact

Ministry and reaching others for the gospel.

There is a glory in sharing in Christ’s work

An athlete must be disciplined if he is to win the prize

Discipline means giving things up now, so that you can gain later

these runners would train for months and months

Not eating certain foods

Training on hot days and cold days

Not staying up late with their friends because they knew they had to get up early the next day to train.

There is a sacrifice if you want actually win

Their minds are set on the prize…on what the future can hold, and so they live now with the future in mind…in other words…they knew, Their future starts today

It wastn’t just what they had to do, but what they had to give up

We each have a choice how we are going to live today

We are free to choose our actions, but we are not free to choose the consequences of those actions.

If you pick up one end of the stick, you also pick up the other

I know we each face different challenges and situations, but

Don’t blame your family

Don’t blame a lack of time

Don’t blame the things happening in your life right now

What do you have to do today?

Do you want to grow in your relationship with God? What do you have to do today?

Do you want to use your gifts and talents to serve the Church? What do you have to do today?

Do you have hurt and pain in your soul that you want to be healed from? What do you have to do today?

Talk with a Pastor or leader, etc...

Do you have temptation or struggle that you just can’t seem to get control of? What do you have to do today?

Find accountability, etc...

ABC’s of salvation

Prayer (pray this in your heart, as I pray it out loud)Dear Lord Jesus I believe you're the son of God. I believe that on the cross you took my sin, my shame, and my guilt, and you died for it. You faced hell for me so I wouldn't have to go. You rose from the dead to give me a place in heaven, a purpose on earth, and a relationship with your father. Today Lord Jesus I turn from my sin to be born again. God is my father, Jesus is my savior, the Holy Spirit is my helper, and heaven is my home. In Jesus’ name, Amen.