“Soliloquy.” That’s a fun word. It comes from the Latin solus “alone” and loqui “to speak.” At its most basic level it refers to the act of talking to oneself. So, if you’d like, pull up a chair and listen in to me reminding myself of what’s important in life.
As you might imagine, I have been in a reflective mood since turning the “Big 6-0” this past month. For the mathematicians among us, that breaks down to 21,900 days or 525,600 hours or 31,536,000 minutes of being among the living. Any way you look at it, it’s a long time. With the average life expectancy in the U.S. at somewhere between 76-79 years, that means, if the Lord tarries, I will be the beneficiary of a senior citizen’s discount on many of my future purchases for the next 16-19 years. How can that be a bad thing?
As I have been reflecting on my life, I often get emotional, because God has blessed me far beyond what I deserve.
One of the great antinomies found in scripture are the parallel truths that God is sovereign and yet man is responsible. To say that God is sovereign means that He is in complete control of all things and does whatever He pleases (Psalm 135:6). As such, He powerfully works all things in accordance with His sovereign will or decree (Ephesians 1:11). But because God is not the author of sin (I John 1:5) and because His ways are so much higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9), within His sovereignty, man is wholly culpable for His sin and His actions (Acts 2:22-23).
The scriptures are replete with references that clearly indicate that God sovereignly extends His grace to whomever He wishes (Ephesians 1:4-5; I Peter 1:1-5; et al), but at the same time, man is responsible to believe in Christ and to honor and obey Christ (John 3:16, 14:15; Acts 16:31; et al). So, with those theological caveats in mind, we will all be held responsible for how we live our lives. But a good and necessary starting point in any sort of reflection is, God gets all the credit for our salvation.
His grace is truly amazing, and I am so thankful for all that the Lord has done for me and given to me. It is on that unshakable foundation that I begin my short soliloquy.
Fellowship with God
I love the old saying, “there but for the grace of God go I.” While I have never gotten full clarity on the origin of that statement, it forever serves as the humble and grateful reminder that I am nothing more than a sinner saved by God’s grace. Grace is defined as “the unmerited favor of God”, or in simpler terms, grace is God giving me something that I do not deserve. And I certainly don’t deserve to be saved from the due penalty of my sin, nor do I deserve to have fellowship with holy God.
The Greek word translated “fellowship” in the New Testament is koinonia, which means “an intimate communion between two or more people.” Not only do we as believers have fellowship with God the Father, but we also have fellowship with His Son and the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 1:9; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 John 1:3).
This fellowship with the triune God serves as the anchor that steadies the ship of my life. No matter how rough the seas might become, my anchor holds.
Fellowship with the Church
Not only has God gifted me with His grace, but He has also gifted me, and every believer in Jesus Christ, with a special communion with His church. Jesus is building His church and even the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). While the universal church is made up of all New Testament saints, it is in and through the local church that we are to utilize our spiritual gifts and practice the “one anothers” of the Christian life.
As I come up on 30 years of pastoral ministry, I have abundantly observed God at work in the lives of so many people. I have personally witnessed His saving power and His sanctifying grace. But I am constantly reminded that it is God’s design that every Christian be a part of a Bible believing, Bible preaching local church (Hebrews 10:24-25). Primarily because He desires us to live in community with other like-minded believers. Why? Because we need each other and because “Iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17).
Fellowship with Family
I love my family. My beautiful wife of 36+ years is God’s second greatest gift to me. Our children and their spouses, along with all their children (our grandchildren) are such a blessing. Each of the members of our growing family has brought me great joy.
But I remain ever so mindful of the role of a godly parent/grandparent in the lives of our earthly families (Proverbs 17:6, 22:6; Ephesians 6:4). The communion that we share with our families should continue to grow and be intentionally nurtured over time, all to the glory of Christ.
Fellowship with Friends
I have the best friends in the world. I really do. And so, I agree wholeheartedly with Chuck Swindoll who said, “I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it, friends make life a lot more fun.”
While life can be sobering, sometimes I just need to laugh. And I get to do that with my friends. I can’t tell you how much of a blessing it is to do life with so many special people. But I am reminded that there is a reciprocal responsibility that goes with being a friend. While true friends are reliable, dependable, and loyal, they love enough to correct and instruct in righteousness (Proverbs 17:17, 27:6).
All of that to say, at the very root of my abbreviated soliloquy is a celebration of My Savior and Lord. I am nothing special, but He is extraordinarily Supreme. My only worth and value lies in my relationship with Him. And while we are to effectively and positively impact the lives of others (and we must take that responsibility seriously before the Lord) we are to ultimately shape our lives for an audience of One.
That’s why my life verse continues to be, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).