Original: August 22, 2007
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:6-8
Yesterday began at 6:15 am as I rolled out of bed to do my Morning Prayer Walk around beautiful Hume Lake. Our standard two-day, 16-hour drive down to Hume, with no breaks between our arrival and the camp "Opener", and no time alone left me drained completely. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I had left it all on the field of yesterday.
In my lifetime I have had many exhausting and capacity-draining days such as yesterday. However, the overwhelming majority of the days I have lived on this dark planet have left me with reserves still in the fuel tank of my capacity.
We all have limited amounts of strength in our reserve.
By definition one could say that “strength” is how much I have, or my unique capacity as a person. We all have the same amount of time but strength is the sum of a man’s capacity of energy, talents, abilities, and giftedness. If I am well rested (that is a big “if”), I begin each day with 100% of my personal capacity, which may be more than some, less than others.
St. Ireneaus once wrote (around 185 AD) that the “Glory of God is man fully alive.” Fully alive, then is to begin each day at full capacity and to end it with zero.
A man’s capacity begins to drain as the day progresses. Capacity seems to also diminish as my life progresses. Like the video games my boys play, the life source is depleted slowly by some things and more rapidly by others. Capacity, however, can be filled by encouraging people, empowering events, energizing tasks or an Eternal God. So, as a man’s life source fluctuates through the day the hope is to be at or very close to 0% by the time the head hits the pillow each night.
Leave it on the field today and every day. This should be the goal of every man.
“Carpe Diem.” Seize the day.
The closer to 0% we come the better we have stewarded this unique day for the glory of God. Our capacity compounded daily equals our life.
In 2 Timothy 4:6 Paul acknowledges his capacity not only for his daily endeavors but his life. As he evaluates his capacity he comes to the honest conclusion that his life source has been “poured out” or spent and his time is nearly over.
Paul left everything on the field of his life.
The day I pen these words happens to be a Wednesday, or “Hump Day”. The week is half over! Hump Day at Hume Lake is bitter sweet. I am forty-five years old and teetering on the Hump Day of my life, which compels men to ask and answer other questions.
How much of your life’s capacity have you spent? How will you run the downhill side of the only life you have to live? There are no do-over’s and contrary to the error of Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins there are no second chances at life and salvation. Men, make your life count now. Leave it on the field of life.
“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:27-28)
