I stumbled over a video clip recently where a man of God was quoted as saying that at his age, he no longer fasts. The man being quoted is over 80. I just told myself that this man could say this because he maximised his younger years. I was privileged to meet with him some years ago. He made his life count.
Friend, it is not enough to count years. You need to make your years count (Psalms 90:12). You have only one life. You need to use it for God and His purpose for your life (2 Corinthians 5:15). Some things are best done in your younger years. Even if you want to do them at later years, the spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak.
When you see a 17-year-old boy carrying loads on his head in the market, you look away. You may even give him some thumbs up. But when you see a 71-year-old carrying loads on his head, you are likely to look at him with pity. When and how do you want to carry your loads? At 17, or at 71? There are burdens of destiny that are best borne at your youthful age (Lamentations 3:27). Will you do it or shelve it?
Making your life count would mean that you do things that count (Luke 12:49-50). There are people who count things, and there are people who do things that count. If you keep counting what you have done, there is every likelihood that you are not doing things that count. Those who do things that count don’t stop to count them (Philippians 3:12-14). They are too busy making impacts than living to impress people.
What do you want to do with your life? Is it to make impacts or merely impress people (Acts 13:36)? Impressions only last for a moment, impacts last forever. Making your life count means you would live for the eternal, not just the temporal. The temporal can be flashy, but the eternal is what carries the real substance of destiny (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
If you don’t do what you are supposed to do now, you would pay a higher price later to get it done (John 21:15-22). If you do what you are supposed to do early, you would become a mentor to those your mates who are laid back. It is amazing how Caleb had to depend on Joshua in order to enter his own destiny. It looked like he wasted 45 years of his life (Joshua 14:6-14). What portion of your life have you wasted, or are you currently wasting?
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria