Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Friday, January 4, 2019

The Apostle Paul at the end of his life confidently said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."¹

There's an old parable that explains how three men were working hard cutting stone from large blocks of granite. When asked what they were doing, the first man said, "I'm making bricks." The Second man said, "I'm cutting stones for the foundation of a large building," while the third man said, "I'm building a cathedral."

All three men were equally capable and doing the same work, so which man's work do you think would have been the most fulfilling? What mattered was each man's thinking about the purpose of the work he was doing. It wasn't his aptitude that made the difference—it was his attitude—his mindset!

One's attitude will determine the direction and purpose of one's life. The purpose of one man might be to make lots of money, while the purpose of another might be to help build the lives of the people he is serving. One woman may see housework as a burdensome chore while another does it joyfully because she is doing it for the ones she loves. It's their mindset that makes the difference.

The reason the Apostle Paul ended his life victoriously was because he had a noble God-given life-purpose and had dedicated his entire life to fulfilling that purpose. He had a mindset that mattered.

If we want to end our life with a sense of fulfillment, it will be our mindset now that will determine how we end.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, Please help me to discover my God-given life purpose and dedicate my life to serving you by loving and serving people. Help me to live in harmony with your will and, with your help, to fulfill my God-given life purpose by living a life that matters—not only for time but also for eternity. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer, gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 2 Timothy 4:7 (NKJV).

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