Death: Before our time is up

Introduction:

Hello my friend!

It's another Friday to share some moments with you in this edition of our weekly newsletter. The privilege of having you dedicate your time to it, is something I'd never take for granted.

At the end of our last discussion, I didn't know what we'd be talking about today; yet nothing would have prepared me for this tribute to my pastor Dr. Charles F Stanley who passed away on Tuesday morning aged ninety. God bless his soul.

I know you're tempted to stop reading at this point because you have no business with my pastor and what I think of him; yet there's so much to learn from the quality of life he's lived and the impacts made.

One of such impacts is the inspiration for me to return to writing and teaching five long years after abandoning it; and heeding that call is the reason this newsletter and all of my other written works exist today.

Discussion:

Each and everyone of us is in this space by design regardless of the circumstances surrounding our birth. This design represents our purpose; the reason we're here.

Our creator has made us custodians of our gifts and talents for us to use them to meet the needs of others as they also use theirs to meet ours. A life of service towards ourselves and to him.

This is the basis of all of Dr Charles Stanley's teachings as he urged everyone of us to live a life where we listen, trust and obey God absolutely. A principle summarized in his regular quote:

"Trust God and leave all the consequences to him" 

■ True Wisdom

Would you rather do something that'll bring you fulfillment or go ahead to struggle in something you're not equipped for?

Like a monkey trying to swim when it's ability will see it climb trees exceptionally; and with ease.

This is what we do when we disobey God. Our creator knows all of our strengths and weaknesses and has planned for us to live accordingly; in such a way that his strength is made perfect in our weaknesses.

What this means is that in moving in accordance to God's will, we follow his perfect divine plan for our lives.

This shifts all the responsibility of taking care of ourselves to him; trusting in his abilities of being 'all knowing' and 'all sufficient'.

■ Benefits of following God's plan:

The ultimate benefit of following God's plan is a fulfilled life. This shouldn't be confused with a successful life. I say this because the metrics of measurement are different.

Where a successful life will have so many accomplishments in career, wealth, and all that physical and mostly superficial elements, a fulfilled life will show the following characteristics:

▪︎peace of mind

▪︎self confidence

▪︎servitude

Let's quickly go through each one of this attributes and how they show up in our lives

▪︎Peace of mind:

A peaceful life isn't one without the pain and sufferings of the challenges we witness in everyday life through disappointments, sicknesses, and failures but one that isn't anxious in these circumstances.

Here, we have absolute trust in God's ability to get us through the challenges he's brought upon us to build the strength of our character and to prepare us for his healing.

▪︎Self Confidence:

Most of our anxiety comes from the need to want to be in control of all circumstances and outcomes; yet this isn't realistic because we have our own limitations.

The self confidence we exhibit in the face of our challenges it's our faith in God to get us through our situation as he's always done before now.

▪︎Servitude:

A fulfilled life dedicates itself to the service of others by providing value that improves the life of everyone it comes across. When we provide solutions to the problems of others, we're putting our abilities to good use.

This will most times require humility and patience.

■ Price of adhering God's will:

Most times God's will is in misalignment with the opinions of others and our own desires which makes it very difficult for us to obey him.

We must see these pleasures we give up as the little price for better and sustainable rewards.

■ Where to find fulfillment:

A good life is established on the foundations of an intimate relationship with God through daily prayer and meditating on his word.

Truly, it's impossible to follow someone in such a way to willingly and wholeheartedly listen, trust and obey them; if we don't really know or understand who they are and what they're capable of.

The closer we get to God, the more our faith in him grows.

Summary:

When I read the post that announced the death of Dr Charles F Stanley, I thought of these lessons that he's spent the entirety of his life teaching in words and actions and how fulfilling it is for them to be the things he'd be remembered by.

Thanks for speaking the truth that changed my life and that of many others all over the world. The timeless word of God you spoke will continue to live in the people you've influenced their path long after you've gone.

Master Apprentice

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