Don't Waste Your Life! Part 2

Yes, 28 years wasted and now it would be perfect bliss, right? I was a Christian, I was earning a big income, I had an incredible, healthy family and I was living on top of a hill overlooking the city in my new house! What a deal! God was prospering me. That's what many of those TV preachers said was going to happen. Story over.

Well, not quite. As I mentioned yesterday, I was 28, a baby Christian and still full of ME. Yes, when you become a Christian, your life as you knew it is over, and now you are a new creation. Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me." Obviously, since Christians still sin and struggle with sin, there must be something about me that wasn't crucified with Christ. Paul recognized it in Romans 7:15-24 "For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?"

Paul recognized the problem, and it wasn't long after I came into a relationship with Jesus that I did too. I spent the next few weeks telling people about my experience and inevitably my business partner, the majority stock holder, called me in to talk to me about my "strange" behavior. "What is this I'm hearing about you?" I wasn't really sure what he was talking about, but he went on. "We are all Christians here, but you need to 'separate church and state'. Don't talk to people about Jesus. That's what Sunday is for." I didn't know it then, but that chat was the beginning of the end. I remained in the company for another ten years, but the seeds of destruction were sown that day.

During that ten years, I prospered financially, fathered another four children, (six altogether), joined a church and even started teaching a little Sunday School. I memorized scripture, went on short term missions trips and even taught a parenting class. I was sure that God was pleased with my work. In 1990 my business partner almost bankrupted the company by taking cash to pay off one of his wives in a divorce settlement. God responded by MIRACULOUSLY granting the company a huge chunk of debt forgiveness. Again, I was sure that this was what the Christian life was all about. God wanted me to be happy, prosperous and comfortable.

In 1997, it all came crashing down. The tension had been building for over ten years. My business partners, (now there were two of them), had some very different ideas about what were right and wrong business practices than I did. I would not be truthful if I said that I resigned for purely Godly reasons, but that was surely one of my motivations. I tendered my resignation in October of 1996 and the next day my partners sold the company. I instantly went from a seven figure income to zero.

What happened to God? Where was He now? I had some money socked away so I built a house in a nice part of town and decided at 37 years of age that I would live the "good life" and retire. Let's face it. God had given me everything I had ever wanted and more. I was sure that He would buy in to my new plan. I made up my mind that I would play golf and race my bicycle until the end of my days. This "Christian thing" really was a good deal!

I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was half way through a 110 mile training ride on my bicycle, out in the middle of nowhere. It was two weeks into my "retirement" and I was instantly struck with a terrible feeling. I had achieved the "American Dream" at the young age of 37 and I was out doing EXACTLY what I wanted to do, but I was miserable.

I couldn't explain the feeling, but I thought that the best way to salve the pain was to get busy with some other pursuit. I took a hammer to the "humble meter" in my life and decided to run for State Treasurer. I could see myself skipping past this relatively minor office and moving on to Governor and then, I was sure that the Presidency HAD to be next. My greatest confidant and counselor was the fellow I met with in the bathroom mirror every day and he told me that this was a great plan.

My ego was in charge and I thought that there was no pleasure or whim that I should deny myself. I was surrounded by sycophants that I hired for my campaign and they told me how great I really was. It was a time of self-deceit and self-indulgence. I had forgotten about my family, my friends, and worst of all, I had forgotten about God. God, however, had not forgotten about me. I lost the election in a landslide. I spent a giant chunk of my retirement money on the election, and soon afterward, the stock market "dip" robbed me of an even larger chunk of the rest.

OK, I experienced a minor setback and I was humbled a little, but God had always come through for me, hadn't He? I got back to church and tried to make up for lost time. I figured that I would start another business or two and then God would surely prosper them and ME. Isn't that the deal? I tip my hat to God and he sends me comfort and prosperity, doesn't He?

In the ensuing nine years, I started two businesses that when combined with my superior business acumen and the sure-fire formulas that I applied, were certain to signal the prosperity train back to the station. The first business exploded when I discovered that my business partner was using fake graduate degrees to market our product. It was another five years and another huge chunk of money swept down the drain. Where was God? I was reading my Bible every day and praying fairly often, so why wasn't He holding up His end of the log? Maybe He wanted me to go on another missions trip or two. Maybe not.

The next business debacle is chronicled to some degree in previous articles on Bible Truth Today. Suffice it to say, I worked for two and a half years with a company that is looking for a reason to avoid paying me. In retrospect, I would have made more money harvesting broccoli with the illegal immigrants in our area than I am likely to collect from this deal.

Have I wasted ANOTHER 20 years of my life? I would hope not. If I have LEARNED anything from the last 48, and I apply what I have learned, then it won't be. Statistically, I am almost 2/3 of the way through my time on this earth. God is clear in his word, that regardless of how significant I am to ME, I barely make a hole in the atmosphere. Psalm 103:14-16 "For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer."

Here are some lessons that I've learned:

1) Fall on your face before God in repentance today. Beg Jesus to come take control of your life now and don't waste ONE MORE SECOND. Anything that you "accomplish" prior to this first step is a complete and total waste. Isaiah 64:6 "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a menstrual rag; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away."

2) STOP listening to the man in the mirror. He will talk you into attempting to control your own world. That is an illusion that can only be maintained for a short while. He is a deceiver and can never be trusted, regardless of what the TV tells you about "trusting in your heart". Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is DESPERATELY wicked. . ." Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding."

3) Understand that it's NOT ABOUT YOU. That being said, let me rephrase it. It's NOT ABOUT YOU. One more time, it's NOT ABOUT YOU! Philippians 2:3-4 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."

4) Avoid foolish ambitions. They are a trap and a snare. Fame, power, wealth, sex, control and pleasure are fleeting and worse, they leave you bitter and empty. 1 Thessalonians 4:11 ". . . make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you."

5) Know the MISSION and do whatever it takes to accomplish it. It does NOT matter what vocations or avocations that you pursue. They are absolutely incidental to the REAL reason you are here on this earth. God can use them as a platform to accomplish the mission, but make no mistake, the one and ONLY priority is the MISSION. Matthew 28:19-20a "As you go, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you."

6) Avail yourself to honest accountability. If you think that you have the ability to monitor your own affairs or you have the audacity to believe that you are the final arbiter of truth in your life, you are lying to yourself. Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death." James 5:16a "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed."

7) Love others sacrificially. Modern day love means, "I will maintain my emotional attachment to you as long as you make me feel good about myself." God's love means, "I will sacrifice myself for your benefit no matter what you do to me, or what you do for me." John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

King Solomon walked a similar road to mine. He experienced many of the pleasures that this world has to offer and found all of them wanting. In the end, he said in Ecclesiastes 12:13 "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person." He commanded us to acknowledge Him as Lord and savior, to avoid trusting in our own wisdom, to regard others as more important than ourselves, to avoid selfish ambition, to make disciples and to love others sacrificially.

As I said in my last post. I have wasted a good portion of my life up to this point. PLEASE don't waste yours. Please pray for me. I will pray for you.

His servant,

D. L. Culiver