Today is my birthday! Fifty-six years ago, an unsuspecting world was introduced to me. The repercussions are still being felt.
Birthdays are special. For most people it is a time of celebration. Birthdays are an acknowledgement that a person has lived another year. That is important because life is important. Life is a gift from God. God gives gifts for two reasons. One is to bless the recipient and number two is for the recipient to use that gift to bless others.
If you are reading this, then the odds are that you are alive. God has given you this life as a blessing. He wants your life to be full of joy, hope, and peace. Those qualities come from having a relationship with God. The greater the intimacy in that relationship the greater your joy, hope, and peace will be. When one has those three qualities in abundance, he or she will have a good life.
Too many people make the mistake of believing that God wants us to be happy. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that. Happiness is dependent on circumstances. God does not promise us good circumstances. In fact, the Bible repeatedly says we should expect trouble (John 16:33, 2 Corinthians 6:4, 1 Peter 2:21). When difficult circumstances come, and they will, many Christians blame God for letting them down.
Joy, on the other hand, transcends circumstances. One can be sad due to what is happening around them but still full of joy. We can have hope in hopeless situations and peace during times of trial because our life is centered on God and is therefore, unshakable. It is those qualities that will make our life a blessing to live.
God has given you life, not only as a blessing but also as a way to bless others through you. God has prepared in advance good works for you to do (Ephesians 2:10). When you faithfully carry out those works, others will be blessed.Being a conduit for God’s blessings to others inevitably increases our own joy, hope, and peace creating a beautiful cycle.
God has blessed me with fifty-six years on this earth. He has allowed me to participate in many good works. As long as He continues to give me the gift of life I pray to grow ever closer to Him and be given more opportunities to serve.
Life is good when it is lived for God!
Gracious heavenly Father, I thank You for the life You have given me. Keep me always on Your path and in Your will.