Saul, who was well known for his accomplishments in shutting down Christianity and its churches, had a life changing event when Jesus confronted him and demanded his attention. It was such a drastic change, that Jesus even changed his name to Paul. Our Scripture today share a reflection time by Paul. It is obvious that Paul felt His time was well spent, and he had no regrets. Knowing that God could call you home at any moment, what might your time of reflection reveal about how you have spent your time? Is it something God might be proud of, and rejoice with you on?

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2022-09-17
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BY: Ed Algreen

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Timothy 4:6-8
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 6 I say this because I won’t be around to help you very much longer. My time has almost run out. Very soon now I will be on my way to heaven. 7 I have fought long and hard for my Lord, and through it all I have kept true to him. And now the time has come for me to stop fighting and rest. 8 In heaven a crown is waiting for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And not just to me but to all those whose lives show that they are eagerly looking forward to his coming back again.

APPLICATION: A few years ago, I retired after spending 47 years of my life in the banking industry. There were many times that I reflected over my job, and then at retirement my coworkers and supervisors celebrated with me, and we rejoiced over such things as my achievements and my devotion to my various bosses over the years. Wouldn’t it be great if we had such a time of reflection in our Christian walk about every 10 years, and take time to reflect and evaluate how effective we feel our time was in God’s work? Please note up front that our work in and of itself is worth nothing, but very often we will see that based on the condition of our heart, and the determination of our spirit, we will gladly get involved in the work of Christ in our family and in our community – especially our church family. In fact, this would help facilitate our reflection as we stand before God and respond to the question ‘why should I permit you to enter my heaven?’. These times of reflection here on earth help to remind us of where we were, how far we have come in our Christian walk, and seek God’s face on directing us to where we need to go, or what we need to do next. Have you advanced in the knowledge of God and His Word? Are you more at ease sharing the Gospel and your walk with the Lord, than you were 10 years ago? Do others tend to look at your Christian walk, and desire to be just like you? Do you feel like it is evident to the world who your Master is? Often, we are so busy about church work, that I’m afraid we don’t stop to reflect on where we are at personally in our walk with the Lord. Unfortunately, the two things are not synonymous, for one could busy themselves in church work, without spending time alone with God to enhance their own relationship with Him. You see, it is vitally important that church leaders reflect so much of Christ in their lives, that others will pay little attention to their leadership qualities or positions, but rather to their spiritual condition. When one sets a goal in life, the idea is that they will look towards that goal, and not the everyday hiccups that tend to knock us around while heading towards that goal. Paul’s goal was set on ultimately being in the presence of his Lord. What’s yours? Keeping your eye on your goal will help direct how you spend your days and hours reaching for that goal!

PRAYER: Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand I am tired, I’m weak, I am worn, Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light, Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home. My eyes are fixed on You dear Lord. While here on earth, please guide me on, so that I may represent You well and be an influence on others in search of You. For each reader today, please draw them close, take their hand and lead them on to draw closer to You. May our goal always be to reflect on You and to worship endlessly at Your feet in glory. AMEN!