ONE LITTLE LIFE
If you could summarize what you would want for your life in one sentence what would it be? Wow! What a big question. Have you ever thought about condensing your life’s meaning into just a few words? Sifting through all the day-to-day, the mundane, the internal clutter, the noise and the business of life and getting your life’s goal into such focus that you can pinpoint it’s meaning into one concise, easy to understand thought! If you could do that, you would have a central theme around which your whole life and everything you do would turn.
Can you do that? I think it’s worth trying…
Time is such a precious commodity! It seems so sad to fritter away our days… or to strive after silly things… or to spend time on things that really don’t matter.
Believe me, I know! I so wish I could get back so much of my life and have a re-do. I guess I’m pretty normal in that! How many of us have said… If only I could go back and know what I know now! Most of us are shaking our heads in agreement I’m sure!
That’s why it is important to know what we are living for. And know what we want our life to be about. When we are breathing our last breaths, what will we want from the years we have lived?
As a believer, I know that at my last breath, this tent… my body, will drop off of my spirit… and I will step into eternity! I will live a life so much bigger than I have now! A life with my Lord and Savior Jesus. A forever life!
But, I’m not there yet. My race is not over. You see I… we… are responsible for the life we are given here on earth. It is ours to use. We must decide HOW to use it. And really, the way we use our lives here is of eternal importance.
I made a decision when I was 33 years old to give my life… my whole life… over to Jesus. When I really understood what Jesus had done for me… how he had died in my place because of the foolish and sinful way I was living my life… the only response for me was to put my life into His nail pierced hands!
My life did a BIG U turn. I went from darkness to light. From death to life. From the family of Satan to the Family of God. I gained a Savior, a Kinsman Redeemer, a Champion, a King! I gained security… eternal security!
Is my life perfect… by no means. I still make mistakes and am sometimes full of self-motivated sin. But my life is on a journey… a path. My life has direction! When I get off my life’s path and follow rabbit trails… I’m never lost. I know how to get back on the right path and keep following it.
I have found a sentence… a verse in the Bible that my life revolves around…
This is the thought that defines my life…
WALK IN A MANNER WORTHY OF THE LORD, TO PLEASE HIM IN ALL RESPECTS, BEARING FRUIT IN EVERY GOOD WORK AND INCREASING IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. Colossians 1:10
This is my life… or at least what I am striving for. My life in one sentence! This is what my whole life is about since I have entrusted Jesus with it.
I love this verse and its wonderful meaning.
What it is saying is…
WALK… live a life, walk this earthly life… it means to walk a path that has been cut out. A big circle. I like to think of it as a “circle of life”. No Lion King references, please!
WORTHY…it’s the idea of matching the values of, being like
TO PLEASE HIM IN ALL RESPECTS… is the idea of being a worker. It is the idea of being a worker that carries out and accomplishes just exactly what the boss wants so He is pleased.
BEARING FRUIT… bringing forth a crop. Making a life full of good works that please one’s boss. Having something good to show that we have done at the end of our lives. A crop of good things worth something to the boss.
INCREASING IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD… This is a magnificent phrase. It carries with it the idea of not just knowing who God is or facts about Him, but having a deep and intimate and close and meaningful relationship with Him. Oh, I want this more than anything!
What my life’s verse is really saying is I want to live a life that looks like Jesus. I want everything I do to be pleasing to Him. I want a life that counts. A life that is full of good deeds that glorify God! And as I walk this life, I want each step I take to be in the imprint His feet have left. I want to be in a close, intimate relationship with my Creator. I want to continually be awed and amazed by Him. To be humbled that He would even want a relationship with me. I want to know, really deep down know Him.
That’s a pretty tall order for one little life. But here it is! That is what I want out of life. That is what I consider as my life well lived!
How about you? What do you want from life? Can you narrow it down into a single, all-important thought?
I say, don’t try to lasso the moon or even reach for the stars… reach beyond them to the One who created them!
Memorization Verse:
WALK IN A MANNER WORTHY OF THE LORD, TO PLEASE HIM IN ALL RESPECTS, BEARING FRUIT IN EVERY GOOD WORK AND INCREASING IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. Colossians 1:10
Beautifully said, Yvonne. It is the desire of my heart to please Him in all respects too.
Food for thought.Have a blessed Sunday Yvonne.
Thank you so much for posting this. Enjoyed.
I always taught my children the importance of being nice to all they cross paths with in a day. That smile you give to a stranger, or those few words, could be the only ones they experience in a day. I find smiling at others also makes me happy. We need more caring and Jess selfishness in the world. Let’s make our world a happier place, one person at a time.
I need to work on my “increasing knowledge of God.” This bible verse fits the way I have been trying so hard to live, especially the last few years. I have come to believe that we are all here to help one another. So I ask for God to give me situations where I may be of service to others. Random acts of kindness make me giddy and I relish every opportunity. I know I shouldn’t be jealous, but I get a bit envious of those Secret Santas who have enough money to hand out to others during Christmas. I would LOVE to do that! Maybe I should start buying lottery tickets. 🙂 But that reminds me of the cartoon where the man is praying for God to let him win the lottery and God says “Help me out a little…. buy a ticket!” Thanks for sharing your verse today.
Wow! That was so inspirational! Thank you Yvonne!
Wow! I so look forward to your Sunday nuggets of gold….your verse a truth…and I too want to live out this truth and I pray every day for God’s help. You are such an inspiration! Thank you!
Well written – thanks.
This is such an inspiring post. Thank you.
This,my friend, is a PERFECT message for today. Given the events if this week, we should take inventory and make sure as Christian women that we are walking worthy in all aspects of our lives.
Thank you for this message and encouragement!
So well said.
Very inspiring post today. Thank you
Thank you for sharing. Have a blessed Sunday.
Thank you
Loving how God is using you as a vessel! He so desires to do the same with each and every one of us using the gifts He has bestowed on us.
Thank you Yvonne. I always look forward to you spiritual posts that remind me more is expected of me as a Christian. I know not nearly enough but am searching. So much inspiration comes from you
God bless you,
Nancy
Amen!
Well said. Exactly what I have been thinking about lately. Thank you for stating it so succinctly.
Thank you so much for this Message! I needed it today.
Blessings to you!
Beautiful verse to concentrate on this week. Thank you.
Thank you for posting such a though provoking question. It will have me thinking! Great thoughts!
Sorry, that’s suppose to say, thought provoking.
Thank you for the reminder
Just a a beautiful me message! I admire your decorating style but I admire your love for our Jesus even more. Thank you for your witness!
Yvonne another great message. I am like you, I want to please God in everyway and to really know him and to know that when he calls me home he can say job well done. I get so filled with his love sometimes and what he did for all of us, that I just cry. There is no love that is as great as his and I pray that each and every soul on this earth will get to know him. What a wonderful world this would be. Can’t you just see Jesus and God smiling if that happened. Oh, how I love for Sunday’s to come and get your message. I am going to send it to some of my friends that need to know God. Thanks so much.
An inspiration for sure, Thank you.
Very uplifting! God bless –
Terrific
Amen!!!
Thank you for sharing that verse. Have a blessed day!
God bless you Yvonne. Oh that we might all walk in a way that pleases our Lord. My prayer is that my life is an example to others.
Our choral anthem today was “Long before I formed you in the womb, I knew you and I loved you”. That is our Creator God. When we really meditate on how much God loves us, we scarce can take it in. “The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell” as sung by George Beverly Shea.
Thank you for the words that challenge me to strive to please God more each day. I look forward to your Sunday posts so much!
So encouraging. Not only your post of inspiration but also the comments of other women. Women who sincerely want to learn who Jesus really is and wants to put that knowledge and love into action. May out Lord bless you all.
Amen!
Very inspirational and great testimony to God’s greatness. Thank you for sharing.
Yes I so want to live a life that is pleasing to God! Faithful prayer and thoughtful consideration in my daily living are “goals” I strive to achieve. Thank you for stating that do beautifully.
Pat
Thanking the Lord for being so good to us
This verse will be my life’s verse too! Thank you for sharing it with me. You are such an inspiration!
So well said. You and an inspiration by sharing your faith.
God Bless You Yvonne
Thanks for sharing your heart with us! We heard that same verse at our church yesterday! I know when God repeats His truth to me I had better take notice! Praise God He gives us the power to obey! “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”!
I can see why you chose the verse that you have come to live by. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself with all of us. God Bless you.
Beautiful and inspiring Yvonne. Thank you.
Good morning, and thank you for this verse. I made it the focus of my morning devotion today and jotted it down. I’ll carry it with me this week as my focus.
I too, strive for this. It is hard sometimes, but knowing what is waiting for is makes it all worth the struggle.
Thank you for being a wonderful woman of God.
That so struck a cord with me. Thanks for sharing and reminding us once again what is important.
I always look forward to your Sunday posts……a blessing for sure!
I love this! Thank you!!
Amen and God richly bless you for so openly sharing His truths. Love you!
Thank you for these beautiful words.
You are such a blessing Yvonne; thank you.
Years ago, our church women’s retreat had a seminar on “What is will your legacy be?” It was very inspiring, and brought me to tears, wondering what would be said of me after I’m gone? Would the Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”? It, obviously, has stuck with me over the years. Your post reminds me of that workshop I heard so many years ago… thank you for the reminder. With the Holy Spirit’s enabling, I hope to bring our Lord much glory in this life (and continue to hope in our Eternity with Him!)
So encouraging! Thank you for these beautiful words! May the Lord bless you and your family!
I LOVE this, Yvonne! I want that too! Thank you for speaking such inspiration and spiritual encouragement to us. May God be lifted up in many hearts and lives because of your faithful witness! 🙂
Yvonne,
Thank you so much for this encouraging Word! And thank you for the inspiring posts you faithfully post each Sunday.
You are such a blessing!
This post has served as a much needed reminder to me today! I often get so caught up in distractions and head out on those rabbit trails. Thank you for sharing this and allowing God’s word to speak to me and others. God bless you !
Thank you Yvonne for sharing the “Sunday Pearl” !! God bless You and all the wonderful subscribers❤️
Praise God that His mercies are new each morning!
Dear Yvonne, I was happy to find ‘One Little Life’ again in this post. I was more than happy to reread it as it gives me peace and closure. My sister passed this week. It was fortunate that God gave me the means to go up to northern Ohio to see her one last time, though she was mostly unconscious. I wasn’t sure what to say to her, yes, the usual things like how much I loved her and Jesus was with her. Then I started telling stories about our growing up and some of our best and funniest times. Those of us around her were amazed to see her nod at some things and often an ‘uh-huh’ came out, and she even opened her eyes briefly a few times. I know she was able to hear those stories and they gave her peace. On the way home we got word that she had left us, was already living eternally in her reward. And in these past two days it came to me. God gave me an entire Psalm in the days after I gave my life to Him, and I keep repeating the first line of it, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth”, Psalm 34:1. Thank you for your inspirations, twice! You are truly a gift from God.
Thank you. This e-mail came at the perfect time, in my life and the heartache my family is going
through. Bless You!
I prayed for you Mary! God knows your heart!
I was drawn to your page by all the pretty pictures and good looking recipes- What a delightful surprise to know that underneath it all there’s another sister in Christ and the blessing of spiritual encouragement included! Thank you!
“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.” Mother Teresa
Kindness is my word/resolution for 2017 and my life. ?❤️
The past year or so I have been struggling with my faith. Not that I don’t believe in Jesus, just that I don’t actively express it. Thank you for this post, I really liked diverse ideas you shared.
Thank you for such a clear and uplifting message.
That is my hearts desire also, to live a life here on this earth that when my journey here is over, I will hear him say ” well done my good and faithful servant”. I can not do that in my own power. It is only possible through the power of Christ. Thank you for sharing.
I love your blog! Your blog inspires me both spiritually and in decorating. Love, love, love your home!
Amen and thank you. Have a lesser week.
I meant to say have a blessed week. Sorry.