When it's all been said and done

This weekend I preached, and honestly I really didn't feel like it. The closer Sunday got the more I just wanted it to be over. I used a sermon I had written two years ago, and since writing it I've used it probably half a dozen times. I had no desire to preach it again, and after looking over it and making a few revisions to fit the current congregation, I began to wonder what I had thought was so great about it when I had first written it.

I had been working on the third message in a series I'm working on out of the book of Philippians, a series that I love and am continuously amazed by the deeper things God shows me about Himself and the intention He has for His church and His people in the things I study for these messages. I had been working on message three out of Philippians 4, but realized I didn't have the time to do the message justice and decided to postpone it and use one from Joshua, again.

The sermon I preached is called "Cease Striving and know that I am God" and it takes the text from Joshua 5.13-6.5 and then uses Psalm 46.8-11 as a supporting text. I had a friend read it back in college when I first wrote it and he said it was the best one I had written so far. I preached it in a few churches and had gotten good feedback on it, but honestly didn't feel like doing it again. But the more I read it, I kept feeling this was the one God wanted preached. So I did.

As the service progressed Sunday I began to get excited about the message, and honestly when it was done, I felt it was one of the best sermons I had ever preached. It had nothing to do with me, God took it and made it something worth hearing.

Before the service I had been in my office listening to a song by Robin Mark, "When it's all been said and done" This past week has had many frustrations and the past month has been extremely busy. I've been questioning a lot of things, but this song continues to amaze me, and in times like last week give me encouragement.

When it's all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth?
Did I live my life for you?

When it's all been said and done
All my treasures will mean nothing
Only what I've done for love's reward
Will stand the test of time

Lord, your mercy is so great
That you look beyond our weakness
And find purest gold in miry clay
Making sinners into saints

I will always sing your praise
Here on earth and in heaven after
For you've shown me heaven's my true home
When it's all been said and done
You're my life when life is gone.

When it's all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth?
Did I live my life for you?
Lord I'll live my life for you.

The stuff that goes on, the things people say, the junk that comes up to deal with, overall it doesn't matter. All that matters is did I do my best to live my life for the glory of the King. As long as I do the best I can to live for truth, to become like Christ, to do the work of advancing the Kingdom by showing love and teaching others to become like Christ, and above all Glorify the Father with all I do, that is all that matters when it's all been said and done.

There are times I mess up, and I hate that, it frustrates me when I make the same stupid mistakes over and over again, but all of it shows me that I am nothing without God, I can't even live my life for God without His help.

To start the service Sunday I did something I've never done before, I told the congregation the thing that I wanted them to take from this message, "It's all about God." Throughout the message that theme become clearer and clearer. That is why it was so good, it focused fully on God, it was all about God. None of it was because of me, I'm just a hammer in the hands of a carpenter, but in His hands, things can get built.

It's all about God, and that is why, when it's all been said and done, the only thing that matters is that I did my best to live for the Glory of the Father.

Live in the Spirit, Preach the Gospel of Christ, Glorify the Father!

Peace be with you