The Goodness of God: Your life matters

Ahhh! I have so much to say!! So let's get started. Today I had to read and annotate a poem for school. There was just so much TRUTH in this I just had to share. So here is the poem by Walt Whitman and some of my notes.

Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring, (Have you every felt like, ugh life is so repetitive! I'm so tired of it!)

Of the endless trains of the faithless (People who don't take life seriously), of cities fill’d with the foolish (People who do not believe in anything, only interested in temporary pleasures),

Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)

Of eyes that vainly crave the light (Meaning) (In darkness because they only seek earthly things), of the objects mean ( Low value), of the struggle ever renew’d (A cycle),

Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid (Plodding and Plodding and going nowhere) crowds I see around me,

Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,

The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life? (What's the point?)

Answer.

That you are here—that life exists and identity,

That the powerful play (Life) goes on, and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?

Everyone is looking for a reason to live. Most people do not find that reason so they go through life with empty souls. But we have reason to live. Jesus. If it wasn't for Him we wouldn't. We can be an impact!

John Piper preached a sermon awhile back, y'all should go look it up on YouTube. He said that there were two 80 year old women who were serving in Cameroon, and as they were driving to a village, their brakes gave out and they dived off a cliff and died instantly. All while serving the Lord. He also went on to say that there was an article in Readers Digest that talked about a couple who retired in their early 50s and spend their time on their 35 foot yacht and collecting sea shells. Which would you rather give to God?

"Here God here's my sea shells and 35 foot yacht!"

OR

"Here God here's my service to the poor kids in Cameroon who I died serving!"

See, here's the thing. We can run the rat race like every other person, and go through life's motions with no meaning, or we can be like the 80 year old women who were following their purpose and being the Salt and Light for Christ. But we don't have to go to foreign countries and preach the gospel or die serving. We can be the salt of the earth just walking through Walmart! I'll give you an example, My Dad served in the Navy for about a year. He told me that one day he was just walking down the hall, minding his own business, and this guy who he had never met and seen only a couple of times while passing him in the hall, stopped him and said, "There's something different about you." And my Dad said, "Well, I'm a Christian."

SEE!!? We have reason, purpose, meaning, and can be an impact for Christ! We are the salt and light of the earth! Especially during the dark times we live in now, it is even more important to be public about our faith, so we can be a light to those empty souls! God gifted us with different talents to serve Him with.

That is our reason: to serve and praise God.

Matthew 5:13

“You are the salt of the earth"

Matthew 5:16

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Matthew 5:14-16

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."