The world-renowned Olympic runner, Louis Zamperini, was serving in WWII when his plane crashed in the South Pacific. Only Zamperini and two others survived the accident. Days later one of the three survivors perished in the harsh elements of the Pacific ocean. For forty-seven days Zamperini and his only surviving comrade floated on life rafts hoping to be rescued. By the time they were located, they’d drifted 2000 miles into a Japanese-controlled territory, and were taken as prisoners to a POW camp.
Not many of us will experience life-threatening circumstances that cause us to drift two thousand miles off course into enemy territory. But we are all at risk of drifting. When we lack goals and direction, we tend to coast from week to week and at best end up making no progress, and at worst find ourselves in an undesirable place.
The Bible warns about drifting. God’s people are called to live with intentionality fueled by holy ambition. Perhaps you sense you’ve drifted off God’s intended path for your life and you want to get back on track. Here are three Scriptures and points to consider as you seek God’s direction for your life.
- We are called to use our time wisely. As we prayerfully discern God’s direction for our life we are wise to ask, “How can I make the best use of my time?” Paul addresses this issue in Eph 4:15-16, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Interestingly, the phrase, “making these best use of” comes from the Greek word, exagorazõ, which means to “redeem” or “purchase.” As we consider this passage, it’s wise to ask, “How can I spend the next five years of my life in a way that brings maximum glory to God?”
- Our time is limited. The Psalmist prayed in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” When we are young, it’s tempting to believe we have plenty of time to do all the things God calls us to. But in reality, only God knows how much time we have on earth. Knowing our time is limited forces us to live with urgency and intentionality.
- How we spend our time matters. In the High Priestly Prayer that Jesus prayed before going to the cross, he said to the Father, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” (John 17:4) It’s significant that just hours before going to the cross, Jesus was mindful of how He’d spent His time on earth. He could say with confidence that He’d completed the work the Father had given him to do. Jesus lived a life of intentionality. He didn’t drift from one town to the next with no thought to what His next move was. Jesus sought the Father’s will for His life and lived it out day-to-day, week to week, month to month, and year to year. And by the end of His time on earth, He’d completed His mission.
