May 5, 2022 – Click here to listen
I had a friend come over yesterday to say his goodbyes before we depart the keys. He will soon be 51 and was lamenting the fact that he had moved into the fourth quarter of his life. My wife quipped if you are in the fourth quarter at 51, where does that put us at our age? Overtime?
I suggested that we must be in double overtime . . .
I was thinking about this today and I remembered playing sports in school where a few games did indeed go into overtime. We had played an entire game and all our effort and work towards winning the game hinged on the short amount of time remaining in overtime. During overtime, we played our hearts out with more intensity than at any other part of the game including in the very first quarter when we were fresh.
Most folks my age look at this period of their lives as a time for awaiting the hammer to drop as the cemetery awaits them. This is so contrary and foreign to my way of thinking I cannot adequately describe it. Now is the time to make the most of the precious time that remains.
I’m not just talking about doing everything on your bucket list and trotting from one adventure to another, but to be a part of advancing the kingdom of God. Yesterday I had lunch with a good friend, and he had invited a couple of his good friends to join us.
One of the men was suffering from a bad hangover. He had been out drinking from 3:00 in the afternoon to 3:00 a.m. He had visited several strip joints and was showing photos of some of the beautiful women he’d encountered in his night of “fun”. (His pregnant wife and children were home during his escapade).
Eventually, the conversation turned to me because my friend told them that I didn’t drink alcohol and had no interest in going to strip clubs. They looked to me as a wise old white hair and asked me why I didn’t drink. I told them that I liked alcohol, but it didn’t like me. It provided a perfect opportunity to witness to them about the radical change in my life brought about by Jesus. My testimony was powerful and both listened intently and asked many questions about how I could go from being homeless, drug-addicted, an alcoholic, a criminal to a family man, successful business person, and a Jesus follower. I told them I surrendered to God after reading His Holy Word the Bible.
I’m sorry to say that no one publicly accepted Jesus as their Savior yesterday, but I know they took it to heart. I was thinking about them this morning and praying for them, and I remembered how they seemed to look up to me. I had overcome so many obstacles in my life and yet gone on to raise a Godly family and make millions of dollars, (which seemed to impress them). I gave Jesus all the credit and said that had I not turned to Him, I would surely be dead, in prison, or an insane asylum. They somberly looked at me and nodded their heads.
I asked the one with the hangover if he believed in God and he wistfully smiled and said I believe there must be something out there bigger than us. I remarked that he was correct, and His name is Jesus and that He loved him and wanted to forgive him of his sins. I also told him one day he would face Him and last night’s foray would without question come up.
Now imagine someone nearly 40 years younger than me who was suffering from a hangover having a discussion like this with a complete stranger. And yet he hung on every word.
I say all of this because I believe that being in overtime or double overtime or the fourth quarter should make us intense to help others find their way to Jesus before time expires and it’s game over. Surely, we all want to win in this game of life and there is no time to squander. Think about it! You have a lifetime of experience and young people need to learn from it. Don’t take your gifts to the grave without having used them.
James 4:14
Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.