Latest / Kate’s Devotional Podcast / Life Is a Gift, Even When You Want to Exchange It Sometimes

Transcript

Life Is a Gift, Even When You Want to Exchange It Sometimes · Kate’s Devotional Podcast

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Kate Dreston here.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever had an encounter with a stranger that really affects your life?
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: I did last week.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: In this five-minute episode,
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to share that encounter with you and the life lesson he shared with me.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: You don't want to miss it, so stay tuned.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Hi, guys.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: Last Saturday,
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: I went to Walmart to grab a few things,
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: and I like to go really early in the morning when there's nobody around,
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: and I like to get in and out as quickly as possible.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: So, as I was unloading my groceries onto the conveyor belt,
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: my cashier greeted me with this, like, really big smile.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: He was way too energetic for me at that time of the morning.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: He asked what I had planned for the day.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: I was not in the mood to chit-chat,
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: so I just told him I had a long to-do list,
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: and honestly, I was really hoping he'd just leave it at that.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: But it didn't deter him in the least.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: He paused for a minute,
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: and then he, like,
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: locked eyes with me and I could tell what he was about to say was really important
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: to him.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: And he tells me, life gets busy, but never take it for granted because today is a gift.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: And then he started to tell me how he'd had this massive heart attack last year
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: and how it taught him that you never know when your time is up.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: He said, no one is guaranteed more time.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: And you could tell it had really changed his life.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: He was never going to be the same again.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: And we wished each other well, and I thought about it the whole way home.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Because you know, sometimes we forget how life is truly a gift.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: I know I do.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: I take life for granted sometimes.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Well, let's see what the Bible has to say about life.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, there is value in life.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Psalms 139:14 tells us that we're fearfully and wonderfully made.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Genesis 9:6, I'm going to read out of the New King James Version.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: It says, "For in the image of God, He made man."
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: And our lives have value just because He created us.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: We are an image bearer.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, the Bible says there is purpose in life.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: You know, our whole purpose is to glorify God.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Did you know that?
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: If you ever wonder what your purpose is, that's it.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: 1 Corinthians 10:31 says,
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God."
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: We give Him glory by living our lives according to His Word,
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: when we obey His commands or we follow His example.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, number three, the Bible says there's meaning in life.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Our lives are never meaningless, even if it feels like it.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: Because He saves us so that we can have an abundant life.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Having an abundant life means that you have a great quality of life just
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: because you have a relationship with Jesus.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: And it means you have a great quantity of life because
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Christians can live forever with the promise of heaven and eternal life.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: So how can we live in a manner that prevents us from taking our lives for granted?
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, Ephesians 2.10 spells it out.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: And look,
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: we're saved by grace, so it doesn't have anything to do with our works, period.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: But when someone is saved,
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: It makes us want to do things to serve God.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: We use the talents and skills God gives us to love others and serve others and
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: to witness to others.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: That's how we shine God's light in this dark world.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: So let's really cherish today and make it a great one because I'm going to be doing the same.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want more of my one-minute devotionals or my five-minute podcasts,
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: you can check out my website at www.katedreston.com Oh,
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: and Dreston is spelled D-R-E-S-T-O-N.