Snapshots of Life

Did you ever have a moment, an event, happen in your life where “your life flashed before your eyes?” We read it in books or see it on TV, but it becomes something completely different when it happens to you. I can actually think of a couple of events in my life where snapshots of my life came flashing through my mind. One occasion was when I realized I was about to be in a car accident. It was as if time slowed down and the possibility of death was right before me.

Sometimes moments like that can transform a person’s life. They realize that they have not lived for much, or that they lived foolishly. Often they cry out to God, “if you let me live through this I will change.” Yet some never do. What do those snapshots tell you about yourself? How do they tell the story of your life?

We each only have one life to live. We are given so many days here on earth and then we will stand before our Creator. The Apostle Paul knew this to be true. His life was forever transformed on the road to Damascus when he first met Jesus Christ. That moment when he truly realized he was a sinner and lived for the wrong reasons, when Christ asked him “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?” With these words Saul, who later became Paul, eyes where opened spiritually to his desperate need for a Savior.

After seeing someone respond to a salvation message, did you ever wonder how sincere their conversion was? We can all be skeptics and cynics at times. Did they really believer or not? Paul’s life became a testimony to his sincerity of belief. From that moment on, Paul dedicated his life to becoming more like Christ and furthering the Gospel. His zealous walk with Christ led him to write two thirds of the New Testament, impacting generations for the glorious Gospel. Even to his death, Paul would not back down or deny his Savior.

How sincere is your faith in Jesus Christ? If you look at the snapshots of your life, do you see a clear time you were confronted with the truth that you too are a sinner in desperate need of a Savior? Sin is pervasive and enslaving. There is nothing you or I can do to overcome our own sinfulness. Do you have a snapshot that recounts the time you were rescued by Jesus from the condemnation of sin? It’s a moment when you begin to see Jesus for who He is, the Son of God and Savior of the world. It’s a moment that redefines your entire life.  Has the course of your life been forever changed, your decisions, your passions, your goals for the cause of Jesus Christ? Belief in Jesus is not just some simple prayer, but a surrendering of your entire life to the Lord Jesus.

Paul’s life took a dramatic course correction that was full of joys and trials and led to his martyrdom. Why do we think God is calling us to something different? Sure, Paul lived in a different time and faced a different type of persecution and was specially called to write part of the New Testament. However, we are called to follow Jesus as Paul followed Jesus. We are called to sacrifice the comforts of this life for the hope and joy of the next life. We are told to surrender every area of our life to Jesus and watch as He creates something completely new in us.

That’s what Paul meant when he penned the words, “for I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). His entire life was found in the person of Jesus Christ and today we can read his words boasting in the Lord Jesus.

What do the snapshots of your life tell? What words describe your life and your passion? Paul’s writings resulted in books being added to the Bible and pointing generations to Jesus. What does your life and words point to? You may think you are not writing books or letters, but I’d bet you have written more then you realize. What does your Facebook posts reveal about you and your heart? How have your Tweets pointed someone to Jesus? How does your Instagram speak of what is most important to you? If I were to scan through the history of your posts, would I see Jesus as your God or something else? Does the peace of the Lord rule your life or is anger, bitterness, fear, depression, relationships, popularity ruling in His place?

At the end of your life, if someone compiled all your writings, would they see that you were a sold out, passionate follower of Jesus that could say “I too have been crucified with Christ and the life I live is only by my faith is Jesus Christ.” Even as I write these words, I am convicted of how I still so desperately need my Savior Jesus Christ and the continual refinement of His Holy Spirit. By His grace alone can we live a life that points others to Jesus Christ.