“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8 NKJ
"My Jesus, mercy" Al Capone’s Epitaph
There was a time in my life where I could better identify with Al Capone’s epitaph than with the Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 4. My life was an all consuming fire of self-centeredness and entitlement. I lived my days for me and I didn’t pay much attention the needs of the surrounding world. Don’t get me wrong I was a nice person; I just had a warped sense of reality because of not knowing my true identity. Like Al Capone and many other people, famous and not so famous; I found my identity in everything contrary to my true identity in Jesus Christ!
And like Capone I was mentored by the world and led to believe that to be the best meant to outdo everyone around me. It meant never showing a need and hiding every pain in my life. Like Capone I tried to hide the scars that showed the reality of the life I lived on the edge, and I didn’t trust anyone; even those closest to me. If I had died during that time my epitaph would have read pretty closely to the words on Al Capone’s.
I am so glad that I had a Damascus Road experience like the Apostle Paul in my early twenties and didn’t have to cry out in my last days, “My Jesus, Mercy”! If I was faced with death tomorrow my words now would reflect something similar to the Apostle Paul’s words. Great peace, contentment, and joy come in knowing one’s life has been poured out as a drink offering in service to other people out of intense love for the Lord and for them.
But what I discovered early on is that we cannot pour out what we ourselves are not filled up with, just like you can’t pour water out of an empty cup. In order to be a drink offering to a hurting and dying world we have to walk in the fullness of Christ operating in us on a daily basis. And in order to do that we have to embrace our true identity as a son or daughter of the most high King! We have to do as the Apostle Paul did on the Damascus Road, and as the writer of Hebrews instructs us, and lay aside every hindrance that entangles us.
We do this by adopting the mindset of Christ that Paul adopted and spoke of in Philippians 3:14. He said, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” It is obvious that this was not just a goal that Paul set for himself, but a personal act of discipline he walked in daily. Otherwise he wouldn’t have said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” in 2 Timothy 4. It is one thing to set goals for ourselves as Christians and it is another thing to set aside time to achieve those goals. And the most important goal for all Christians should be discovering their true identity in Christ so they can learn what His purpose is for their life.
Can you even imagine what the lives of many famous criminals would have been if only they had discovered their true identity? Master minds of criminal activity are not ignorant people, they are just misdirected in their belief of why they are on this earth, just like the Apostle Paul was and I was, at one time in our lives. This is why it is so important for us to meditate on the Word, pray, and spend time seeking wisdom and understanding, because these are the activities that lead us to achieve the goal of becoming a drink offering ready to be poured out. There is no other way! It doesn’t happen automatically. It is a daily exercise of faith.
In Christ Jesus we have the crown of righteousness and one day we too will receive a heavenly reward according to what we did with the life God gave us and the work He called us to do. The lives we live we no longer live to ourselves, but to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. To become a drink offering ready to be poured out to a hurting and dying world we have to fully understand these truths. We are all called to be drink offerings. So my question to you today is this: Are you full and overflowing, ready to be poured out or is it time for you to be filled up?
Prayer: I praise You for calling me and for setting me apart for Your Kingdom! I want to be all that you created me to be so that when the days of my life come to an end; my words will be like the Apostle Paul’s and not like someone else who lives for themselves in this world. Let me see the greatness You see in me to accomplish Your Kingdom work on this earth. And let me fully embrace my identity in You so I believe without doubt that I am filled with the fullness of You, ready to be poured out! Amen
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