Why Am I Here? - Week 2, Day 3

Day 3: What will my life say?

This is the last question of the week. Can you believe you did this whole thing? 

Way to go.

What will be the communication of your life? The average person speaks 24,000 words a day. That is a lot of talking. We talk about the weather; we talk about sports; we talk about our classes and how lame the homework is. We talk about who's hot and who's not. We talk about who is dating who. Here is the last question. When was the last time you had a conversation with someone about Jesus? 

Matthew 28:19 Jesus commanded us to go and tell others about who he is and about what he has done for them. Are you spreading the word? How many kids are in your school? ________How many kids are on your sports team or in the band that you play in? __________

How many of those kids have a personal relationship with God? And if the answer isn't all of them, what are you going to do about it. You know stuff that other kids don't know. You know that God loved you so much that he sent Jesus to die on a cross for your sin. You know you can be forgiven for every sin you have ever committed. You know that you can do life together with God and that God is for us and not against us. You know so much more than the average kid knows. When are you going to start talking about it? When are you going to invite someone to church with you? Do you really believe there is a heaven and a hell and that people really are going to one place or the other? We have to plunder hell and populate heaven because, in the end, isn't that the only thing that matters? 

A few years ago, Lee Strobel, a Pastor at Willow Creek Church in Chicago, had to go to Canton, Ohio, for a meeting. He called his travel agent and asked, "What is the easiest, fastest, and most convenient way to get to Canton?" She said, "You fly to Pittsburgh. You switch to one of those little commuter planes, and you buzz right into Canton, Ohio." 

He said, "Sounds great, go ahead and book it." So she was starting to do whatever it is she does on the computer to make that happen. Lee starts to feel uneasy about the whole thing. He didn't like the idea of flying on a tiny little commuter plane. So he asked, "Is there another way to fly into Canton?" She said, "No, there's really not. That's it." He said, "Well, let's get creative.She said, "Well, if you want to, you could fly to Cleveland and then rent a car and drive all the way to Canton. But that would be less convenient. It would be slower. It would not be the easiest way to go." 

Lee said, "Yes, but you know what? That feels better to me, so book me on the flight to Cleveland." She said, "Okay." 

On that day, he went to O'Hare Airport, and he got on the flight. His flight to Cleveland took off just six minutes apart from the flight that he would have been on to Pittsburgh. Lee flew into Cleveland, rented a car, went out to dinner, and then he started the long drive down to Canton. While he was driving, he turned on the car radio, and that's when he heard the news that the plane to Pittsburgh, on approach to that airport, plummeted 4,900 feet into a hillside, exploded, and killed everybody on board. 

For 23 seconds as that plane was hurtling toward the ground, the people on that flight--the flight that He would have been on-knew that they were going to die. They knew there was no way out. He said, "I've often wondered what went through their minds during those 23 seconds and what would have gone through my mind during the final 23 seconds of my life? No question, I would have been scared. But at the same time, a lot would have been clarified during those final moments of my existence in this world." 

And then Lee said this, "Suddenly, I would have come face to face with regrets about things that I did or things that I failed to do during my life. Suddenly there would be no ambiguity anymore about what is really important in this world. Then most of all, suddenly, my desperate need for God would be made more crystal clear than ever before." 

None of us knows when we are going to die, but all of us are going to die. That includes your friends. That includes the kids you go to school with. When are you going to start talking about the things that matter? When are you going to talk about something more than just the weather? Their eternity is at stake, and you might be the voice that they desperately need to hear. 

Time Out:

We need to live a life that makes a difference. Here are your questions to think through. 

1. What are you going to do with the rest of your life?

2. What is really worth living for?

3. Why are you here on this earth?

4. What will be the center of your life?

5. What will be the character of your life?

6. What will be the contribution of your life?

7. What will be the communication of your life?

8. Write down the name of one person that you care about that does not have a relationship with God. Pray that you will have the courage to start talking to them about the things in your life that matter for all of eternity.