The rest of the story

The story of “Life Poured Out” continues to unfold. This morning as I was praying I realized that this has been a theme in my life since high school.  I wanted to share the instances I could think of throughout the past several years where this theme has come up.

Story #1 – Campus Crusade
I was involved at Campus Crusade my two years at M State. One week, the adviser asked me if I would prepare something to share. I based my teaching on 2 Timothy 4:6: “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering and the time has come for my departure.” Being greatly involved in Children’s Ministry at the time, I had an object lesson of a perfectly-crafted glass of lemonade. I don’t remember the whole basis, but the key question was, “What do our lives consist of that are being poured out as an offering?”

Story #2 – The band I never liked
I never liked the Christian band Third Day much. One morning in high school, though, I woke up to my alarm and immediately had their song “Offering” on my lips. Laying in bed that morning it hit me: God’s call is for us to give our all – pour ourselves out – so that at the end of the day, there’s nothing left. He fills us and we do it again.

Story #3 – Why not
The second semester of my second year of Bible school, there was a question that pulsed in my heart and mind for months, becoming a very important part of my life and ministry: Why not give it all? Jesus gave it all. He was poured out. Why not pour my all out for Him?

Story #4 – Proof of what I’m saying
Preparing for a trip to Mexico in 2008, all the youth gathered several hours a day for just over a week to learn dramas and prepare for the trip. One of them, Nathen, was running the sound equipment. I asked him to draw a picture for me and mentioned a few different elements.  Two years later, he found me in church and brought me the picture. Notice the pot in the center with the last drop being poured out…

Story #5 – Homework
Right in the middle of my final two years earning my degree, I was spending many hours doing homework. “What eternal value does this have??” I asked the Lord one morning in prayer. “Is my life being poured out at the altar of homework?” Immediately I got the response: My work (including homework) was not the altar – it was the offering. Those hours were accumulating into a fragrant offering that could be poured out at His feet.

Story #6 – For the glory of God
Pastor Patrick taught a series in January 2011 entitled “One Month to Live.” I wrote down a quote that has become an integrating part of my life (and is the subtitle for my blog): There are no regrets in a life poured out for the glory of God.

Story #7 – The Fountain
I won’t write the whole story, since I wrote a blog on it awhile ago but when I was at SIL these theme continued to stir no my heart and was clarified one day as I was sitting next to a beautiful fountain.

Story #8 – Philippians
As I studied the book of Philippians last fall, I was amazed by Paul’s attitude of being poured out. Philippians 2:17 says that he was glad and rejoiced that he was being poured out like a drink offering – and he wanted the Philippians to be glad and rejoice about it, too.

Now you know the rest of the story (stories). Well, up to this  point at least…