Life That Is Truly Life by Connie McNeill

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19 NIV

“The life that is truly life.” That’s what most of us want, right? We all know we have one shot at this life. Sometimes we think we have more time. Sometimes we are surprised to learn that we don’t. The life that is truly life is the life that God intended for us in the first place.

This scripture seems to say that if we want to live a life that is the God-desired life we pursue, we actually do so by keeping focused on what is the eternal design that builds a firm foundation for a life that results in being truly life-giving. We easily lose focus by pursuing meaning in all kinds of ways and endeavors. However, even after bad choices, the Spirit can bless us with the life God intended because Christ is capable of a redemptive work that will make things right.

When our life posture is always the pursuit of something we don’t have or shouldn’t want, we will not nurture a generous life. We nurture a generous life when we are grateful for whatever we have or not. Gratefulness is the seed from which a generous life is born and flourishes.

No one thinks it’s an accident that you hear about Catalyst this time of year. We are close to our fiscal year-end in a little over a month. We undertook a significant addition to our Catalyst Ministry Plan by including the chapel renovation. It can’t open too soon for everyone to be able to be part of two worship experiences in the space, as well as many other events that will occur in the Tutt Chapel because it is uniquely designed to meet the needs of those events. It will support the ministry's effectiveness through the versatility of the room, the audio-visual capabilities, and the seating flexibility, to name a few ways. Of course, this is just one of many ministries accomplished through Catalyst. Our gratefulness is again expressed through our generous commitment.

Living life truly is not a rose-colored glasses way to live. It is a heartfelt belief and a life practice of choosing to look for and find moments or spots for which we are grateful in our every day of life. We are created in God’s image, and what God created is that the more grateful we are, the more generous we will be. This not an accident. It is a Divine design.

As our annual holiday of giving thanks approaches, we are grateful for so many moments, places, persons, and things that make up our lives. We express that gratitude in many ways. We see it in each other. You serve, you listen, you share, you give. By the way, we are grateful for you.