Begin with the end in mind!

This year I have lost so many friends and colleagues. We lost four men in Restoration alone. One of our missions pastors, Jamilyn Hull, was killed in a motor vehicle accident and our Grief Share leader, Gloria High, died of a heart attack. In addition, two men my age decided to end their lives by suicide, and a third died after a freak accident in which he broke his neck. I have known Gloria and these three men for over twenty-five years each. And even more painful, some dear friends lost their son in a motorcycle accident this May.

All these losses have made me ready to see this year end and make me cognizant of the fact that the day is coming for all of us. 2015 was also the year I passed the age my father was when he died.

And although my Dad accomplished quite a lot, he had dreams and goals that he never realized. We know there will be a day of reckoning, when we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Will we be prepared for our final exam? I want to be ready!

As this year draws to a close, think deeply about what you have experienced and what you have brought to the world in 2015. Now imagine yourself a year from now. What do you wish to have accomplished in 2016?

If you do a good job of imagining, you can begin 2016 with the end in mind.

Ask God to reveal your heart’s desire and His desire for you in 2016. Write down all that comes to mind and put it somewhere where only you can see it. Then commit your ways to Him and find your joy in Him every day.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.     Proverbs 3:5,6

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;

Psalm 37:4,23

Watch what happens when you delight in and defer to Him. This dark world needs your light!

Love y’all!

Paul

P.S. Don’t die on me!