Do you ever feel like your life is full? I mean, a lot is going on in your life, and your days are busy - parenting, working, volunteering, running errands, school, marriage, etc....
Everyone's life is full, from the oldest retiree to the youngest high school student. Like a hamster on a wheel, we keep running and spinning and running and spinning and running some more.
But the truth is, even though your life is full, it's not fulfilled. Perhaps you are aware of that, and you want more out of life. Most people will add more to their lives, thinking that more is what they need to be satisfied finally.
But stacking on more doesn't help, does it?
I have rarely met a person in the late stages of life who wasn't full of remorse. Every day you live a full life but not a fulfilled life is one more day you will regret.
I've served in ministry for 28+ years, and I have seen people struggle with the same things from every walk of life. I have been there also.
I shot my first game of pool at the old Mascotte bar when I was a kid. My Granny worked there, and sometimes I would tag along with my dad.
I was born in Central Florida and raised in Winter Garden, Lake, and Sumter counties. After my mom and dad divorced, I moved about 26 times, but God used my Aunt and Uncle to bring stability in my life and show me my need for a savior.
Looking back, I see that they were the first people I knew who weren't only living a full life, but their lives were fulfilled. To this day, I see the joy of fulfillment in them!
Even though my adolescence had a lot of fighting and partying, it was clear to me that there had to be more in life. At the end of my senior year, God's good mercy and grace convicted me of my sin and welcomed me back into his arms. I had spent my entire Christian life with zero discipleship. Although I knew Jesus was my savior, I had no idea what I was supposed to do with that.
My life was full, but it wasn't fulfilled.
I knew that I had to be connected to other Christians and start maturing in my faith. Thankfully, my mom started attending church again, and I started going with her. God was shaping my life to look more like Jesus, and every day I was growing closer to him.
I'll never forget the Sunday night worship service when God called me into the ministry. The pastor preached a strong message of salvation and repentance, and many people responded to a time for prayer. At that moment, I was overwhelmed with the desire to do what my pastor had just done. I wanted to spend my life telling people about Jesus and preaching the gospel.
Fast forward.... After serving as the Student Pastor at a church in Gainesville, Florida, I moved home and started serving at First Baptist Church in Leesburg. That is when I met my wife, Sheri.
We were married in December of 1996 and quickly moved off to finish schooling. Now, we have two young adult children and cannot wait to see what God does in their lives.
Through the years, God has placed me in just about every role in the local church in Florida and Western Canada, and Sheri has been right there with me.
As a child, I used to ride through Groveland on the way to my Granny's house in Tarrytown, and I remember seeing FBC Groveland's building. I wonder if my Granny would be surprised that her grandson is the pastor of a church in Groveland (or a pastor at all)?
So, let me ask the question again, are you living a full life or a fulfilled life? I know this about you because I know it about me, you want to live a fulfilled life, and it is possible to do that.
You may have been a Christian for a long time now. Or maybe you don't consider yourself a follower of Jesus at all. Either way, Christians and non-Christians alike struggle with the same issues; they might look at them through a different lens, but the problems are similar.
Here's the deal, you can continue living life the way you are - running from here to there and piling on more and more - If you do, I can guarantee you the path of least resistance will result in you getting the same outcomes you've always received.
In the gospel of John 10:10, Jesus says that he came to give you abundant life - a fulfilled life - life to the full! That life is available to you, and I promise it has nothing to do with adding more to your plate.
Too many Christians live an unfulfilled life that doesn't represent what is available to them in a relationship with Jesus Christ. The bottom line, most have never been discipled into what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
People who don't follow Jesus tend to follow "things" that will promise fulfillment, but in the end, they fail. It looks and tastes good like cotton candy at the fair, but it doesn't satisfy. It's here and quickly fades away.
You don't have to live your life that way!
I've been preaching the gospel for more than 28 years, calling people to live their lives in a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. Through God's grace, I've seen marriages changed, lives saved, and God glorified. Not only that, this church in Groveland (FBC Groveland) has been teaching the same message for over 100 years.
I am so thankful to serve in Groveland, linking arms with this church and helping people just like you discover and deepen a faith that will lead to a fulfilled life.
I'd love to meet you! Click the Plan Your Visit button and schedule your time with us. I hope to meet you this Sunday at FBC Groveland.
Grace,
Pastor Don
