[Life of David] Dying Done: Bucket List CheckedChikamu

Giving And Forgiving

Great lives are full of giving and forgiving. David had a good life, full of riches and honor. God had provided beyond David’s needs. The king was surrounded by limitless riches, yet they did not capture his heart. He always credited God for giving him everything he had, and was always full of thanksgiving.

If we are going to have great lives, and if we are going to have a bucket list that includes fulfilling the purposes of God, we must be filled with thanksgiving and giving to others. We must be forgiving. We must have grace and forgiveness for others, and grace and forgiveness for ourselves as well.

We need to have grace and forgiveness for the things we wish we would have done and for those we wish we had not done. Forgive yourself. God will forgive you. There is no sin God’s grace cannot cover. It is often easier to receive God’s forgiveness of us than it is for us to forgive ourselves. We might find we beat ourselves up more than God would, except that God does not beat us up at all. He always forgives us. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us. He offers forgiveness, always, to everyone.

In the same way, so should we. If someone hurts us, we need to forgive them. Sometimes, it is not easy to forgive, but that is something we need to learn to do as Christians. As Christ forgave us, we need to forgive others.

A life worth living is a life worth giving. Now that we are fulfilling God’s purposes for us, we want to give our lives to the Lord and to others, to be an influence and people of impact for others. We want to walk with God, pray, seek Him, and get into God’s Word. By doing this, we get a whole heart, a strong heart for God.

When we walk in God’s purposes we will begin to give life away. The joy of God’s purposes is not in what we get, but in what we give. And it is not about money but about life. Begin to give and mentor and make a difference in somebody’s life. Like David left a legacy for Solomon, let’s leave a legacy for the people around us!