As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. — Ephesians 4:1-3

At last week’s Summit Men’s Retreat I asked the group to write down the things they are willing to die to defend.  Without hesitation they wrote down the things that mean the most to them.  Faith, family and country were rightly at the top of most lists.  Next, I asked for a list of the things they would live for.  Through our discussion we realized that living is the highest measure of devotion, not dying.  There are many people who would willingly leave this world in a blaze of glory for a noble cause.  There are not many, however, who will choose day by day to live for a purpose.

Yet, that is just what Jesus asks of us – “live a life worthy of the calling”, “take up your cross daily”, “Be faithful to the point of death”.  Sometimes living for Jesus leads to a martyr’s death.  More often it leads to a life full of daily choices that reveal our true faithfulness.  God is glorified in our struggle to follow him.

This week’s challenge is to make your own list of things you would die for and then ask yourself if you are living for the things on that list.

God, please use our lives moment by moment to be the hands, feet, voice, and heart of Jesus in all the places we go.  Our lives are lived in Jesus’ name, AMEN.