On Saturday, May 7th, my brother will host a golf tournament in memory of his late son, Neil, to raise scholarship for needy kids to attend the school his son was attending when he died. The tournament is called the Neil Goslen Neighbor's Grove Open or the shorter form in the NGNGO. One of the fund-raising methods is a silent sports auction with sports memorabilia up for bid. You can actually check out the items and make bids on line by going to www.ngngo.og and look up items and make bids. Since I live so far away, I wanted to help my brother with this auction, so I have been contacting sports icons and getting their autographs on cards. One of my favorites in an autographed card of Vida Blue, former pitcher for the Oakland A's. The card itself is worth about $3 if it is in pristine condition. But with his autograph, it is worth from $30-$50! The value increases dramatically.
I was thinking about my own life. I look at what has taken place in my life and I realize the history books will not remember me. I have found no cure to a disease. I have not held public office. I have not led an army to a glorious victory. I have never recorded a gold or platinum album. I have not made it into any sports hall of fame. In all honesty, I have not even served at a large church. I have never written a book or been asked to speak before thousands of people. That is usually reserved for those pastors who grow a church to be huge. In the grand scheme of things, my life would seem to be insignificant.
Chances are, if you are reading this blog, you find yourself in the same boat as me. I doubt many famous people are reading this blog, waiting each week for the latest Sip to be published on line. Of course, this probably applies to 99.9% of the world's population, so we are in good company.
Does that mean we are just marking time? Does that mean our lives really don't count for much? Does that mean we really aren't valuable? maybe we are like the myriad of baseball players who played in the minor leagues and never go to the Show.
Ephesians 1:13-14 tells us a different story. Please take a moment to read this passage and you might be surprised at how valuable you really are.
My life has value, not because of what I have done. According to this passage, my life has great value because of the one who has signed His autograph on my heart. The passage reminds me that I have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. He is a deposit which guarantees my eternal life. My life has meaning, purpose and value because the moment I received Jesus as my Savior, the Holy Spirit came to live in me. I am now God's possession. That makes me valuable. If you have received Jesus as your salvation, you have been given the gift of eternal life. You have been sealed with the Holy Spirit and that makes your life valuable. So, as God's possession, every movement we make can be redeemed and valuable. We don't measure ourselves by the world's fifteen minutes of fame, but by the lives we touch by our faithfulness.
So as you go through this day and this week, allow the Holy Spirit to utilize every conversation and activity to draw someone to Christ. May this Sip refresh you and allow you to better serve the Lord.
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