a guest here today. We're so thrilled you're
here. I know it was mentioned before, but we
love when guests come and worship the Lord with
us. And you know, if you're new around here and
you have never put your faith in Jesus Christ
so that He could be your Savior, today's a great
day to do that. Whether you like this church
or not, love Jesus. If you've never been baptized
in Jesus' name by immersion, we have robes ready.
Maybe because God knew you would be here and
you've never had the opportunity to go down in
water in Jesus' name. When you're baptized in
Jesus' name, all your sins are washed away. And
so please, if you've never been baptized, we'll
baptize you today in Jesus' name. How many of
you have read the promise of the scripture about
being filled with the Holy Ghost? Scripture says
in the book of Acts, When they were filled with
the Holy Ghost, they spake with other tongues.
Now that sounds crazy. Anybody here ever experience
that? Wow. Looky here. Looky here. So if you're
here today and you've walked with the Lord any
length of time, but you don't know what it's
like to be so filled with His Spirit that He
takes over everything. He gives you a brand new
experience with Him, but it's more than an experience.
It's Christ in you. This is your day. Turn to
somebody next to you and say, this is your day.
And then say, well, now, if you checked all those
boxes he mentioned, God might have something
else for you today. God might have something
great for you today. I want to direct your attention
to the Old Testament, the book of Psalms. And
I want to say I never take for granted the privilege
of preaching here at Heaven View. It is my favorite
place to preach the word of God. I love this
church. My wife and I have been privileged to
pastor here for on the edge of 25 years. And
although there are other doors that open, there
is nothing like the privilege of serving you.
We honor you for the opportunity you have given
us. And we say to God, be the glory for what
he is doing. Simultaneously, I'm so glad this
church is not built on one person or one family
or one personality. Amen. We have a great team
around here. I thank God for every preacher,
every teacher. And we've had some great preaching
around here. And I have a habit if I'm not here
for a service because I'm out of town, I'll go
online. It doesn't even cost me anything, a little
bit of time. And I'll worship with my church
family online. Some people only make it to one
church service on Sunday. We get that. But you
can catch the next one in the week online. And
the messages are not always duplicated. And so
you can hear from God over and over again. And
that's a great way to supplement what you're
doing privately, daily, to walk with the Lord.
A few commercials here, but we'll be moving on
in a minute. Psalm 90 and verse 12. And this
is attributed to Moses as God spoke through him.
Something very powerful that I want to share
today. I'll refer to a bit more of this song,
but I want to just start off with this verse.
Why don't we read it out loud together? I'm using
the King James Version, but whatever version
you've got there, let's read this together. So
teach us to number our days that we may gain
a heart of wisdom. So teach us to number our
days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. We've
been talking around here a lot about the kingdom
of God. And I will just say this, the kingdoms
of this world are in utter chaos. Now, we say
nations a lot of time, but they're really kingdoms.
And they are driven by spiritual kingdoms behind
the scenes that want to see the annihilation
of every human soul. I'm glad there's another
kingdom that supersedes every other kingdom.
I'm glad there's a king of kings and a lord of
lords. And his name is Jesus. So we've been preaching
and teaching about the kingdom of God because
we want to make sure people don't feel stuck
in the kingdoms of this world. Because when the
kingdoms of this world come crashing down, you're
going to want to know you're linked up. Linked
up. I know I could refer to every message, but
Brother Mark, the message Wednesday was so practical
and so applicable. Thank you. That's kingdom
right there. I say that because I don't think
you use kingdom in your title, but you danced
all over it. I like when you dance. But anyway,
that's something that Marianne wanted me to throw
that in. We're just kingdom. We're just kingdom
minded. I'm so distracted right now because I
forgot to say this message is for Fran and this
message is for Trent and this message is for
us. Amen. And so I want to preach about kingdom
values. I'll start with one value now and talk
about some other values later in the next service
and even next Sunday. Let's ask the Lord to speak
to us. And while we're praying, I know I kind
of alluded to it, but would you pray for the
nations of the world right now? We need God.
Let's pray together. Lord Jesus. There is an
old song, I will not sing it, I want to, but
I don't think it would bless you. It might bless
you when I stop singing, but it sure wouldn't
bless you while I was singing. But the words
will bless you. And you will remember, some of
you will remember, I was graduating from a Christian
college and trying to pursue ministry as a life
calling. And these were the words to the song
that was sung to our graduating class. and I
remember it to this day. Only one life, so soon
it will pass. Only what's done for Christ will
last. Only one chance to do his will, so give
to Jesus all your days. It's the only life that
pays when you recall you have but one life. I
think even for good godly people, there is a
tension when we talk about the kingdom of God
that some theologians describe as now and not
yet. We experience a taste of the kingdom of
God now, but every promise points to a future
that's far greater and grander than what we can
imagine. And because of that tension and because
we are reaching for what is not yet, sometimes
the kingdom of God, it begins to fall away in
terms of our highest priority for living. So
that's why there's a song, Only One Life. Because
it is possible that this kingdom value that I
will call stewardship of your life, of your time,
of your money, of your priorities, It can become
something that gets all confused in our minds.
Even if we have a Christian worldview, here's
another verse, and I'm not going to quote the
whole song, but it'll just help nail it down
in your soul where I'm headed today. You can
take all the treasures from far away lands and
take all the riches that you can hold in your
hands. Take all the pleasures your riches can
buy, but what will it help? When it's your turn
to die. Only one life. So soon it will. This
is not a sad message by the way. I was at a memorial
service yesterday and it's still lingering in
the atmosphere. Only one life. So soon it will
pass. Only what's done for Christ will last.
Only one chance to do his will. Oh, my Lord,
have mercy. So give to Jesus all your days. It's
the only light that pays when you recall you
have but one life. Would you just say thank you,
Jesus? He didn't sing it. I mean, thank you,
Jesus. You've given me this life. So teach us
to number our days that we may gain a heart of
wisdom. In other words, make every day count
for Jesus. God, give us wisdom to live daily
for you. Only one life, not one and done. How
easy would it have been when I stood on that
platform to receive my college degree and I was
listening to those words, only one life. How
cool it would have been if it was just a one
and done. Okay, I checked the box. My life belongs
to Jesus, but that's not how it works. Every
single day you and I have to make decisions.
that show that we are following the wisdom of
the word of God. To make sure that we make our
life count for him. Lord, help us to live in
light of eternity. I'm not trying to preach anxiety
today. I'm trying to preach clarity today. This
world is in chaos. The kingdoms of this world
will come crashing down. But if you and I can
link up with the king of kings and the kingdom
of God. If we can let the Lord help us today.
If we can embrace the kingdom value of being
wise. stewards of our time, of our talents, of
our gifts, even of our money. Only one life.
I'm going to give it to Jesus. When Moses is
singing this song and praying this prayer, this
is how he starts. I love this. Lord, you have
been our dwelling place in all generations. You
know what? There's some old timers here and I
can tell God's really done it for you. You're
here because of him. But it works in every generation.
It works every time it's tried. That's the kind
of God that we serve. And Moses was saying, Lord,
you have been our dwelling place. You have been
our hiding place. You have been our safe place.
God is my refuge and strength, you might say.
You've been our dwelling place for all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth or ever
you had formed the earth and the world, even
from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
Sometimes teenagers. take their one life, amazing
gift from God, and they give it to another teenager.
What I mean by that is they make their decisions
based on their peers. Got only one life, and
you're going to let some teeny bopper. If it
wasn't for his parents, he'd be sitting next
to you stark naked. He'd be living in a van by
the river that he had to steal because he ain't
got no money. And you're going to give your life,
your only one life. Well, she says I ought to
do this. And when she bats her eyes, I don't
even know there's a God. I only get to preach
every now and then, so I try to make it count.
Thank God for husbands and wives that walk in
unity when it comes to the Word of God. But sometimes
one of you can get it messed up. That doesn't
mean you've got to get a divorce, God forbid.
But you know, when Job's wife said, you ought
to just curse God and die, thank God he didn't
obey her. Thank God he didn't take his one life
and his one family. He said, well, I've got to
keep peace in the home, so I might as well just
curse God and die. I'm talking about one life
here today. Thank God that Job was able, I'm
going to keep loving my wife. I'm not going to
leave my wife, but I'm not going to leave God
because I only got one life. And so soon it will
pass. Right now we're facing all kinds of hell.
But my goodness, he's been God from everlasting
to everlasting. Before the worlds were framed,
there was God. And he's saying that he'll be
the Lord of my life. He'll take my life and use
it for his glory. Let me just go ahead and trust
him. Praise the name of the Lord. I'm going to
try to calm down now. So here's a few questions
to consider. I'm watching the clock because I
put it as big as life right up there in the back
now. Even I can see that. I'm going to ask you
some questions. Don't answer out loud. Can we
live for God today like he is all that really
matters? Amen? Can we live for God today like
he can be trusted? Like his way is always the
best way. Well, it doesn't fit with the kingdoms
of this world. It doesn't fit with the culture
around us. No, but he's still God. He's still
good. We can trust him. Can we live for God today
like we only have one life and so soon it will
pass? One more question. Can we live for God
today like you're worthy of it all? That would
be a good way to live for God right there. Everything
I have, everything I am, my Lord have mercy.
Every good and perfect gift comes from God. It's
not my house. It's not my car. It's not my education.
It's not my bank account. It's not even my wife
and kids. It all belongs to him. Let me grab
a hold of the kingdom value of stewardship and
let me number my days. Let me make sure my life
counts for the Lord. Moses went on to say this.
This is the same psalm. He said, here's one reason
why you need to try this. It's because a thousand
years in your sight are just like yesterday.
When I was a teenager, every day, one of the
things that mattered most to me is what other
people think about me, about my choices, blah,
blah, blah, blah, blah. I cannot even remember
one of those people that I thought was so important
that I had to dress the way they thought I should
dress, that I had to like what I, there's times
I did things I didn't even want to do because
I thought, well, that's what they're doing, and
if I want to be like them, I got to do what they
do. My goodness, if you think about this idea
that a thousand years in your sight is just like
yesterday. In other words, everything that consumes
us from the kingdoms of this world that messes
with our minds and all of a sudden we're drifting
away from the kingdom of God. It seems so important.
I don't know if I can give this up. I don't know
if I can make that sacrifice. I don't know if
I can make that commitment. But yesterday is
a canceled check. It's already gone. And so why
not just give your life to him? with every decision
that you make. It's kind of like Ecclesiastes
boiled up in one verse. You know, life is but
a vapor, all of that. It's meaningless, can I
say, without pursuing the purpose of God every
day. This is going to sound very painful, but
you are wasting your life. You might be having
fun. It's like getting on a plane in first class,
but you're going to the wrong place. I'm never
bringing you all the peanuts you want, some Diet
Coke. Man, this is the life. But when you get
to where you're going, it's the wrong place to
be. And that's the problem with how some people
live their lives sucked in to the culture of
carnality that even is in the church. And we've
got to shake ourselves and grab a hold of a kingdom
value that says, you know what? I am not going
to waste my life on the things that are temporal,
temporary, carnal, convenient, comfortable. Praise
God. This message emphasizes. Now, this is not
something you have to write down, but it certainly
doesn't sound like anything meaningful. It emphasizes,
are you ready? Ordinary faithfulness. Oh, wow.
Thanks a lot, Pastor. Why can't you emphasize
the supernatural? Come on, raise up the dead
for us. Well, maybe next Sunday. Come back. Although
there are a few people that were sleeping through
the worship that are awake right now. I'm not
calling names. I am just emphasizing ordinary
faithfulness and discernment. Discernment has
to do with the wisdom to make the right choices
with the information that you've been given.
Discernment that is processed by wisdom. That
comes from God. Would you close your eyes and
raise a hand and say, Jesus, I want some of that
in my life. I think this room is filled with
people that have spiritual discernment. But why
don't you say, God, give me the wisdom so it
doesn't go faulty on me. So it's not like a washing
machine that breaks down after I've used it so
much. Lord Jesus, I'm asking you, I've got to
have discernment. I've got to have some wisdom.
God, I've got to make decisions every day. that
show my reverence for you. I'm asking you, Jesus,
to help me. Praise God. If we live for God this
way every day as a kingdom value, what we are
truly saying is we value him. We value his word.
Dare I say, we value his church. That's a good
place for an amen. Church is not near as valuable
as it used to be, I understand. But you know,
you can make a decision to keep it valuable.
You can make a decision that, you know what,
he shed his blood for his church. I might as
well make sure church is a priority in my life.
I might as well. Why? Because I value him. So
I want to ask you a few questions. I just keep
asking questions because I don't have a lot of
answers. Here's a question. All right. What did
I do for Jesus today? Ask that question today.
Ask that question tomorrow. Ask that question
the day after that. What did I do for Jesus today?
Only one life. What did he do through me today?
Well, there's somebody that's hard for me to
love, and I was able to be a friend to him, and
that had to be God. It can be pretty simple.
But it's a question worth asking. How about this
question? How did I become more like him today?
Today. That's what we're talking about. Teach
us to number our days that we may gain a heart
of wisdom. In fact, this psalm, if you read through
it, again, I'm not trying to be depressing. I'm
just trying to read the Bible. It promises us
about 70 years. And if you're really blessed
with strength, you might have 80 years. And so
some theologians say you should count backwards
from 70 on your birthday. But that's all you
got left. I don't feel that good. It's like them
old -time preachers, I want to die in the pulpit.
I don't want to die in the pulpit. I'll freak
everybody out. You talk about a bad advertisement
for the church. I ain't going to that church.
God struck their preacher dead in the pulpit.
But I'm 58. I've got 12 years left. You feeling
all right? I'm feeling pretty good. I lost a
little bit of weight. Make me feel better. Twelve.
If the Lord tarries. Eleven. Ten. Nine. Eight.
Seven. I was about to say freaking. You shouldn't
use that language in church. I think I'm scaring
the kids. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five.
Four. Three, two. I want to scream one real loud
and wake somebody up. Teach us to number our
days. I only got one life. I got to make sure
I give it to him. Not just at church on Sunday.
It's a kingdom value. Only what's done for Christ
will last. Amen. How do we live daily? Not just
at church a couple times a week, but our decisions.
Are we pleasing God or are we pleasing self?
Because very few people in this room are all
that interested in gaining entrance into the
kingdoms of darkness, the kingdom of Satan. You're
not interested in that. But all of us can be
tempted to want to be a part of the kingdom of
self. Because, you know, if you're the kingdom
of self, you get to be the king, baby. And that
feels good. To be the king. Large and in charge.
The kingdom of self. So that's the real tension
that we feel. It's not that we all want to just
backslide and curse God and live for the world.
Be like the devil. But the kingdom of self. The
kingdom of self. Where I make the choices that
please me. Where I make the decisions. How I
spend my time. How I spend my money. Am I pleasing
God or pleasing self? God give me wisdom, amen.
All of us can be guilty of justifying self -pleasing
decisions. All of us can be guilty. Me. Of spiritualizing
self -pleasing decisions. You know what the Word
of God says. You know what godly leadership is.
But you know, if I kind of go to this person
and get some guidance, they're going to tell
me what the Bible says. So let me go find someone
that's not as, you know, fanatical as that. It's
funny how some of you are selective in who your
spiritual advisors are. Because you know what
answer you're going to get from grandma. And
you know what answer you're going to get from
your teenage buddy. You know why? Because we
spiritualize pleasing self. We justify, well,
so -and -so said this was a good idea. Well,
it's kind of interesting that that pleases you,
pleases your flesh. And you feel like that must
be a man or woman of God. I'm just saying we
need to ask the Lord for wisdom. I need wisdom.
You need wisdom. You don't get wisdom just from
sitting on a pew. You don't get wisdom from just
saying, well, bless God, I've been a Christian
for 43 years. You get wisdom every day by getting
in the presence of God and saying, Jesus, I want
to be in your kingdom today. I want to do what
chooses, pleases you. I want my life to be right
with you. You say amen. And here's just a couple
things to consider. The psalmist said, teach
us to number our days. So I want you just to
let this flow into your spirit and meditate on
it. If you are not teachable, you're not going
to get much wisdom. You're not going to get much
wisdom. You've got to be teachable. I mentioned
before, but one other example is... How many
of you kids have learned, I know when mom's going
to say yes or no, and I know when dad's going
to say yes or no, so I can play them against
each other? None of y 'all want to raise your
hands? I only grew up with a mom, so I couldn't
play that. I just had to lie. We're just kidding.
It was just a joke. Let me tell you something.
Moms know when you're lying. Can I get a mom
to say amen? Oh, yeah, they do. By the way, wives
know when you're lying too, but that's a sermon
for another day. It's all over me today. Amen.
There's no wisdom in playing games with authority
so you can get what you want. That's not kingdom
stewardship. That's the kingdom of self. The
kingdom of self. You don't want to be a part
of the kingdom of self in these last days. Amen.
Praise the name of the Lord. I want to just throw
this in. I'll just move on. I mentioned it in
a couple of messages a while back. The scripture
says, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory
and honor and power, for Thou hast created all
things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were
created. And so when you're not sure if the decision
you're making pleases God or pleases self, you're
not sure if this is a kingdom decision, then
just try to stop long enough to say, what would
please God in this moment, in this decision?
What would please God? Because this verse that
I just quoted in Revelation, it's dealing with
eternity. That when we all get to heaven, we're
all going to see what really mattered. Here's
a little something you need to think about. Nobody
in heaven is going to say, Why did I pray so
much? Nobody in heaven is going to say, man,
why did I sign up for that Martha ministry all
the time? Nobody in heaven is going to say, man,
why did I spend all day in church on Sunday?
I'm not saying you have to. I'm just saying we
think we're pleasing God, and a lot of times
we're pleasing self. So what do we do? God, give
me wisdom. God, I don't want to listen to pastor
because he's fanatical, but then God, you give
me wisdom. I hope that works out for you. I think
I got amen in the wrong place there, but anyway.
I would not replace the value of a pastor in
this process. I would not replace the value of
a parent in this process. Some people get wisdom
from God, but they get more disconnected from
the church. I don't know if that's wisdom. When
we all get to heaven, we're going to find out.
But I don't want to wait until I get there to
make risky choices about my life. One more time.
I'm almost wrapping this up, but just one more
time. Just say, God, I've got to have wisdom
to make kingdom decisions. I don't want to pretend
I'm pleasing you, Lord. I want to live a life
that's kingdom -centered and stewardship. Praise
the name of the Lord. Praise God. How can I please
God and not please self? Well, redeem the time
because the days are evil. Set your mind, the
old King James says, set your affection on things
above, not on things that are on the earth. And
here's the last part of this message, and I'll
try to hasten to a close. Moses goes on to say,
and this to me really is the capstone of what
I feel to share. Verse 16, let your work appear
to your servants and your glory to their children.
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon
us and establish the work of our hands for us.
Yes, establish the work of our hands. Just very
quickly, let me just share it from this perspective.
Moses is saying to the Lord, I got so many choices
of what I can do with my life. And a lot of these
choices are good choices. But what I need you
to do, Lord, is I need you to show me your work.
Show me what matters to you. That's what he's
saying. Let your work appear to your servants.
When your servants are kingdom -minded, when
your servants want to exercise wise stewardship,
when your servants want to put you first with
their lives, when your servants don't want to
be carnal, don't want to be casual, when they
truly want to live for you, show us your work.
Show us what you're doing. Show us what matters
to you. Not just one and done, but every single
day. show us, God, your work. Because if you
show us your work, then our children will see
your glory. In other words, what we have done
with our lives will influence others for him.
And when our life is gone, you can come to the
instruments. When our time is finished, The glory
of the Lord has appeared in our children, in
the next generation, in those new converts, because
we asked the Lord to show us what mattered to
him. Now, the next generation can see his glory.
Can you say in Jesus' name? So I close with just
a few of these little axioms. If we treat truth
casually, the next generation may treat truth
as optional. If we model hesitation, they may
choose retreat. What does hesitation look like?
I don't think it takes all that. I don't think
I've got to do all that. Okay, that's good for
you. You're on your way to heaven. There's a
good chance you're going to make it. But the
people you influence, because you hesitated,
because you, what do they say in the Bible? You
turned back. You're not even fit for the kingdom
of God, the Bible says. And you're on your way
to heaven because the mercy of God is great,
but you have influenced the next generation.
And in some cases, your own children. You have
influenced them by your hesitation. They will
choose retreat. If you flirt with carnality,
they might fall in love with compromise. And
you'll be in heaven. Where's my kids? Well, you
never got a hold of his work. You were so consumed
with your work. And because you flirted with
carnality. Because you acted like, well, we can
go to church, speak in tongues, and we can be
just as worldly as our neighbors. And it's the
Lord's work how we're going to win our neighbors
if we don't get worldly like them. It's the Lord's
work. You better ask the Lord for wisdom to show
you His work. Because you're sending a message
to the next generation about whether or not church
matters, whether or not commitment matters, whether
or not faithfulness matters, whether or not loyalty
matters. That's hard preaching. I get that. But
I'm telling you, if we whisper uncertainty, they
may shout unbelief because we are constantly
teaching the next generation whether they should
value the kingdom of God or value the kingdom
of self, whether they should value the church
or the preacher or the pastor or they should
value just this easy believism podcast religion
that anything that sounds good must be good.
That's the world we're living in right now, and
that is the kingdom of self. And we can't cast
out the kingdom of self. We just got to hope
people come to the altar and put it under the
blood. Would you close your eyes and raise your
hands and say, Jesus, teach me to number my days.
Teach me, oh God, to make decisions that exercise
kingdom stewardship. In the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Can you say in
Jesus' name? I want to prophesy to this congregation
because I stand upon the word of the Lord. If
you will make it your commitment, I am going
to ask the Lord to help me understand what his
work is for me, what his will is for me. Every
single day, I'm going to carve out a place of
prayer in his presence where I simply ask the
Lord, why have you called me? And why have you
blessed me? What is the work that you have asked
me to do? every single day. Show me your work
so my children will see your glory. And I want
to declare to this congregation that if it works
in the negative, it can work in the positive.
If we live a surrendered life, the next generation
will be bolder than we've ever been. If we walk
humbly, our kids will run faithfully. And if
we guard the flame, they will carry the torch
of the truth through every single chaotic situation
that's coming down the road. Let me tell you
something. It's scary to be a teacher. or a young
adult when the world is in chaos. But if we can
show them faithfulness, if we can show them stewardship,
if we can show them loyalty and commitment to
the gospel, to the truth, to Jesus, to the church,
I'm telling you, our kids will see the glory
of God. And in the worst situation for the world
where sin does abound, grace, grace, grace. We'll
rescue the next generation. Would you stand?
Numbering our days is not a message about fear.
It is a message for faith. God has a purpose
for every person in this building. And those
of us a little bit older, we owe it to the next
generation to live out that purpose. as though
it is more valuable than anything else. Can you
say in Jesus' name? If you're here today and
you're new to Heaven View, in just a moment we're
all going to come to the altar, many as we can.
Sometimes there's health reasons why someone
stays back. I get that. But there's room at the
altar for everyone that can come. And we're going
to try to apply this message. to our lives because,
you know, the word of God works. It's like a
seed, but it's got to go into the right soil.
And you might say, well, if he would have preached
a little bit better, a little bit different.
No, no, it's the seed works, but it's the soil
that matters. The sower may not be the best sower
in the business, but the soil is what really
matters. I'm not saying there's not responsibility
upon the heart of the sower, but the biggest
impact today will come from what you do with
the word of God. And I'm asking you when you
come in just a moment to say, Jesus, show me
your work. Give me wisdom to see what's next
for me to do. Because I know, Lord, I want those
I influence to see your glory. I want those I
influence to know your goodness. And if you're
here today and you're kind of new to Christianity
and you've never heard preaching like this, and
it's kind of like, well, that's kind of heavy
duty, but you need something from God. Would
you join us at the altar and say, Jesus, I don't
know if I understood everything he said or if
I'm ready for that kind of commitment, but here's
my life, Jesus. I've only got one shot at this,
Lord. I want to give it to you. And I tell you,
giving your life to Jesus again and again and
again is the best way to see his glory. every
blessing, every victory. If you have a sickness
in your life or a circumstance, a job situation,
you're like, man, I need a miracle. It doesn't
look real good. Get to this altar in just a moment.
Throw your hands up and say, Jesus, I give my
sickness to you because it's part of my life.
I'm giving my life to you. I give my job situation
to you because it's part of my life, and I'm
giving it to you, God, because I want you to
work. I'm telling you, everybody can come to
the altar in just a moment and get something.
and from the Lord. But if you are here today
and for some reason you've never had an opportunity
to repent or be baptized in Jesus' name or seek
to be filled with his spirit, join us at the
altar. And the first step is just to throw your
hands up and say, I surrender my life to Jesus
Christ and let him have his way. Come on, everybody
come that can come. Everybody come that will
come. And let's come standing with hands raised
and hearts open. And voices lifted. Why? Because
we're saying, Jesus, here's one decision I can
make right now to put my life into the master's
hands. Oh, God, I'm going to get more wisdom
at the altar than I'm going to get in the foyer.
So I'm coming to the altar today, and I'm saying,
teach me, Lord, to make every day count. Teach
me, Lord, to realize. It's just a vapor, and
I don't want to be distracted by so many things
that could keep me from the work of God and the
purpose of God. Don't focus on what you wish
was different.