"Have you noticed the hardness of heart in some of My children? Have you missed the joy they once had? Do you see the unrest settling in My church as they begin to trust the world's ways for their security? So many are working harder to get ahead, when I am calling them to spend time with Me. So many are working for the things they have purchased to calm their unrest.

        "In their attempt to buy possessions to give them happiness, they have substituted a false god for their provision. That god has never really met their needs and is powerless as things become darker. The god they looked to has now become the god that has no answer. Everything they purchased from him to satisfy their foolish needs are now the overwhelming burdens for which they must pay.

"Make no mistake - I am God. Serve no other gods. Turn back to Me with all of your hearts and I will give you true rest. Turn completely to Me and I will give purpose to your life."

Joshua 24:15 NIV

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

Psalm 25:12-14 NIV

12) Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

13) He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.

14) The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.

Prov. 28:14 AMP

Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is the man who reverently and worshipfully fears [the Lord] at all times [regardless of the circumstances], but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

Matthew 5:13 AMP

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality) how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.

As the purifying of the children of God intensifies, those who say that they love Jesus - but really only love themselves and the world - become distinguished by their actions. True motives for living are revealed as trials and challenges are placed in their lives. As sad as it is to see and as horrible as the prospects are for these selfish hearts, it brings great opportunity to function as Jesus would in their midst. We can learn to care as He did for their souls. We can be an example of inspired living in a dark world. We can show confidence in a Father Who is all and everything that's ever needed.

The life you and I live is important to God, to us, and to others. It is important to God, because we are placed as His presence in a dark world, as the life of Jesus flows through us to those who need to see Him. Our lives are important to us, because we have found the answer to life in Jesus Christ and are aligning our hearts continually with His heart, as we walk with purpose through our days in service to the Lord. Our lives are important to others, because God can use our Christ-centered lives to show them His unconditional love, address their needs, and share His plan of redemption and reconciliation. Hopefully, they too will be drawn into their own relationship with Him.

Teach me to not waste a minute of my life, Lord,

Jim Corbett