Recently, in church, I got to reminisce over my childhood days in the children church. I remembered one of our children church teachers at that time who had gone to be with the Lord now. This man would convert his sermon lessons to songs and use them to teach us. While preaching in church, I found myself singing that same song to our congregation, reminding them of the man who taught me about 30 years ago. What an impactful life!
Friend, you need to live an impactful life. Really, life is not measured by its duration but by its donation (2 Corinthians 9:8-9). While it is good to desire a long life, we must remember the purpose of long life. It is to be able to impact as many lives as possible (Psalms 92:14). Long life without meaningful eternal impact is a waste of heaven’s resources.
Genuine impact never dies even when men are long gone (Acts 13:36). There are songs and hymns we sing today that would always remain evergreen despite the fact that the people who wrote those songs have since gone to be with the Lord. Most of the books that have changed our lives today were written by dead men. They may be dead, but their works still live (Hebrews 11:4).
What about you? Do you want your work to outlive you? Do you want to make an eternal impact in your generation? Then, commit to serving God’s purpose on earth with all sincerity and focus (Acts 13:36). This was the secret of David. He served God’s purpose. To date, David’s life is still being celebrated in Israel and the world at large. He never lived for the moment. He lived for eternity.
Don’t live for the moment. Live for eternity (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). Live in such a way that your life will not be forgotten in a hurry. This would require sacrifice. It would mean that you commit to doing things that heaven recognises. A lot of what some people do today are not recognised by heaven. Earth may clap for you, but heaven weeps over you and vice versa (Matthew 7:23, Acts 7:55).
Living an impactful life is not first about being popular. It is about being purposeful and powerful with God (Luke 2:52). Those who seek popularity eventually lose their place in eternity. Don’t fall for that bait (Revelation 3:1). Whether you clothe widows like Dorcas, pray for the saints like Epaphras or write epistles like Paul, if you live your life in honour of Jesus and to serve people sincerely, your impact will not be forgotten. Amen.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria