What Will Your Biography Be?

 Transcribed by AI

Dear friends, greetings. It has been almost thirty years since I became a bookkeeper, and I always refer to a book, yes? A book, a booklet, a daily bread booklet. It really is a daily bread, and in these thirty years since I accepted Christ, it has provided me with daily sustenance. We started reading it in India, translated into many languages: English, Persian, Dari, Pashto, and I don't know what other languages in Afghanistan. But for many years, people all around the world have been reading this booklet and being blessed by it. There is a message for every day, just like we need bread every day, it gives us that bread. And today, we want to share with you some things we have prepared from this book. May I greet our dear friends? Yes, why not! Greetings to our dear friends and fellow countrymen. May God be with you, and may you be well, happy, and healthy, so that today, just like other days, you can listen to our programme until the end, see it, and be blessed. Amen.

Well, dear friends, as we said, we have chosen a topic from this daily bread: How is your life story? Your life story, the life story of Nazira, my life story, and the life stories of those who work with us here are very important. We should think about how we will be remembered after leaving this world. By what name will we be remembered? Will it be for good or for bad? Previously, Nazira and I discussed this; she said, "You are the one who says." It has been said to forget the past and focus on the future with God, and today, we must truly be grateful for the present. This is absolutely correct. Yes, we can encourage each other to have a view of our lives where we forget the troubles of the past, and focus on the future with God, living in the present. This is what we have been trying to do until today, and we continue to strive for it.

Yes, they say, "The past is past, today is a gift." But let's not forget that today is what can also determine our future. We might draw from our past experiences or from the lives of those we have chosen as examples. Right? So, let’s make sure we utilise today well. There are those who have served us, those who have loved us, and those who have nurtured us so that today we are happy and peaceful in our lives and move forward with our Lord in spirit, in his Spirit, with his word. But let’s understand and ask ourselves: Is the beginning of life important, or is the end of life? If we want to write our life story, is our past more important than what happens after life ends? What is important is how we finish our lives, isn’t it?

And when we think and talk about life stories, it all starts from this moment. But we must remember that how will people remember us? What will our life story be like? If it is written or not, there are millions who are not remembered at all. But they are remembered; people remember us, our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren will remember us and the kind of lives we lived. In this context, I think of a very godly man who served humanity greatly. A preacher, a missionary from India, known as Moody, was a prominent evangelist. They asked him about his life story, and he said, "Why should I be remembered? As long as I am alive, it is not necessary. Why? Because the beginning of life is not that important. The course of it is not that important either. But what matters is how life comes to its end. What results do you achieve?"

It's like a tree. When you cultivate a tree, it grows. Eventually, what fruit does it bear? What kind of produce does it yield? We will have a life story. We know many people who have been great examples to others. Even if their stories are not written down, many of us have read their books. Not just one book; we have read many books together, and many people are doing great things in this world. How many people have followed them and have set them as good examples in their lives? But see, at the end of their lives, they make a mistake. They commit an error that makes their followers unable to choose them as good examples for life. That is why we said earlier that the end of our lives is what shapes how our lives conclude. Are we successful in our lives? Have we done good deeds, or have we made mistakes?

And the last trail of our lives is when we stand before God; we are accountable to Him. God will personally ask us. Friends, personal faith is one of the topics that comes to my mind now. Accountability to God is personal. No one can account for someone else. No human can take away our sins. No one can, for instance, atone for our sins. Each of us is responsible for ourselves in God's presence. God will ask us: "The life I gave you, the blessings I bestowed upon you, how did you use them?" So, we are accountable before God. We must have this in mind. This could be the beginning of life. When we talk about our life stories, especially for those who have come to faith, it continues. Our life story is eternal because when we go before God, we are still alive there, because our God is alive and eternal.

Yes, the Bible speaks in the book of 2 Corinthians. Paul the Apostle had some anxieties. There is a verse in God's word that mentions he had anxiety. Yes, yes. Paul the Apostle can truly be a good example for us because he not only served but also showed love. He served humanity. Most of the letters in the Gospel were written by Paul the Apostle. He was one of the disciples and apostles who spoke on these topics. He can be a good model for us because he not only employed his abilities and talents but also shared his weaknesses and anxieties with us. Some people try to write only good things in their biographies and avoid mentioning bad things. But just as the Bible is full of good stories, it is filled with real accounts. Stories that show both the faults and merits in the lives of prophets and the lives of people are often criticized. Many times, it is said, "Why do you mention so many sins in the Bible?" For instance, David, who was a prophet, sinned with Bathsheba. This is because we can learn and take lessons from it.

God allowed everything to be included in His word, both sins and rewards, both good and bad things. And Paul the Apostle was indeed a person who wrote about both his qualities and his faults. Well, Paul the Apostle, as we mentioned earlier, was a messenger, and he was human like us. He also had anxieties. His worries were not about what to eat or what to wear, as Christ said, "Do not worry about what you will eat or what you will wear." Rather, Paul’s anxiety was whether he would remain faithful to God until the end or not. Whether the Lord would be pleased with him until the end or not. Yes, and we want to read a part of the Bible to you, dear friends. I want to connect my mobile to the studio so that these verses can be shown. Let's go to the book of the Gospel, we hope to be connected. Yes, we should be.

Well, we read in the book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 9, verses 24 onwards, where Paul the Apostle himself expresses this. He says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize?" We are talking about life stories. What kind of life do we know? Life itself is a journey and also a battle. In this, he says, "Do you not know that in a race, all the participants know? Everyone in the world is running one way, but only one person receives the prize in the race." So, one person receives the prize. What about the others? You must run in such a way that you may obtain the prize. That means everyone must run their own race in the competition. Whether they receive the prize or not, they must run and think that they will receive the prize. An athlete prepares himself for the race, works hard, and avoids excesses. They do this to obtain a crown that withers, but we do this for a crown that lasts forever. Our life story is eternal. For this reason, I run, but not without a goal. I fight, but not like one who beats the air. I discipline my body and bring it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified.

Dear friends, let’s take a pause and return. Don't go away, our helper is Christ. Dear friends, we will take a break and come back. Don't go away, our helper is Christ. Dear friends, we will take a break and come back. Don't go away, our helper is Christ. Dear friends, we will take a break and come back. Don't go away, our helper is Christ. Music for the family. Good friends, we are talking about whether the beginning of life is important or its end. Yes, what will our life story be like? Ultimately, what kind of biography will we have? Will people remember us for good? Will God be pleased with us? We all said that we are all accountable before God. After that, we read from the Bible that Paul the Apostle compares life to a race. Everyone runs, and they want to win the prize. Then he says, "You understand that the prize is eternal."

In verse 25, he says, "Every athlete exercises self-control in all things." These things that are imperfect, trivial, meaningless, they let go of these things and do not waste their time. They do this to obtain a crown that withers, while we do this for an eternal crown that remains in the presence of God. Paul the Apostle, as we previously discussed with Nazira, did not worry much about what to eat or wear or where to go, but rather he worried about whether he would be faithful to God until the end. Whether he would receive an eternal reward, an eternal life in the presence of God. This was his concern. Not only Paul the Apostle but Christ has given us this message to not worry about what we will eat or wear. Instead, our lives should be such that we remain faithful to God until the end. Yes, our faith should last until the end before God, so that God may be pleased with us. This is how we win that race that Paul the Apostle spoke about.

Yes, and our faith. Some people say, "Well, we follow Christ.” At times we hear of another individual who has faith, or perhaps we personally have faith. The word of God says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." So, we should not be arrogant thinking that we follow Christ. This should be done with patience in the presence of God. We should always kneel and keep this in our lives. He is the foundation of our lives; He is the source of life; He is the source of strength. So, dear friends, one day our lives will come to an end, and our deeds, our words, our faith will be revealed. Paul the Apostle, in another part of the same letter to the Corinthians, says that our building should not be built of wood and hay, but rather it should be built of precious stones, gold, and silver. Now, when we speak of gold and silver, this is not a materialistic topic, dear friends. You will see how solid this can be.

And the journey of life is like this; we must succeed until the end of our lives without faltering or becoming discouraged. There is a proverb that says, "Old age for a foolish person is like winter, but old age for a wise person is a harvest." Yes, this is a proverb from the book of Ecclesiastes. We should live this part of our lives knowing that our lives are passing, and we should not worry about it. We should live in such a way that when we become old, we do not become disappointed, saying, "I wish I had done this part of life; I wish I hadn’t done that; I wish I hadn’t made such mistakes." We should begin from the beginning, living our lives in the journey of life, reading His word and stepping in His path so that we have no regrets. When we look back, we should not feel remorse or regret, right?

Rather, we should have the mentality that we have received blessings from our ancestors, or have gained things that have been detrimental to us. If we have been blessed by them, we should thank God for that blessing and we can pass this blessing on to our children. But if our ancestors made mistakes, that should be a lesson for us, a lesson we can share with our children and learn from their lives. And I will share a story from my own experience. My grandfather had a beautiful garden, and every day he would go to the garden, plant seeds, and work. One day, I was playing in a corner of the garden by the stream when my grandfather came, shovel in hand, sweating, and very red in the face from working hard in the garden. He came to me and said, "Look, dear, I am sweating, I am planting seeds, and after that, what will happen? The apples will grow and be sweet for you to eat." Well, back then, I was quite young, and I didn’t fully understand his words, but now I realise that he truly worked hard so that we could enjoy the fruits of his labour. This is a great lesson for me.

Yes, yes, what Paul the Apostle says is true: "I labour; I fight, but not aimlessly." We have to have a goal in mind for our future, don’t we? We must consider the ultimate end of our lives in the presence of God. My father, when discussing the day of judgement, would often say, "I sought the world but did not reach my destination; what will become of the Hereafter?" I do not know whose wisdom that is, but dear friends, God created us; the world is not for our destruction but rather for our life to yield fruit and for us to live eternally in the presence of God. It is part of God’s will that brought us into this world; we must think about this. We must fight for our lives and strive to reach our destination. Amen.

We must fight, and this fight is not something we can manage alone, as life is full of sin, evil, and wickedness. Just look around at what is happening in the world today; we cannot fight this battle alone, but it is God who fights for us. We just need to submit to Him. And why are we fighting? This fight is not for power, wealth, or anything else. This fight is against evil, against sin, against the wickedness we face. We fight against it until one day we are successful, and eventually, God will be pleased with us. We strive for success in this battle. Amen.

And Paul the Apostle speaks about this struggle, saying, "I have fought the good fight." This good fight means standing firm against temptation, sin, and evil, resisting the devil. Indeed, we can stand firm against the devil and be victorious by following Christ who gives us strength. This is true. Our fight is not against flesh and blood but against unseen spiritual forces that we cannot see but are there, as the word of God tells us. So, let us enter this good fight and be victorious.

What does Paul the Apostle say next? He says, "I have kept the faith." In this journey of life, in this battle, I have kept the faith. The faith we have, dear friends, is connected to God. The God who, by His grace, freed us from death, sin, and the evil of this world. This is our faith. So, Paul the Apostle says to keep our faith intact so that we may lead a good and exemplary life for society and humanity. We can consider Jesus Christ as the best model of humanity in His perfection. He can be the best example for us, dear friends, who laid down His life for humanity so that we can share in the joy and eternal peace of our God. Truly, and this word of God that we hold in our hands is a treasure for us; it is a good example for us. We previously spoke about someone and said we have read their book, and together we have read it, but he made mistakes in his life, he failed. But the word of God is a treasure that guides our lives, and if we read this word, we can receive eternal salvation. Amen.

Jesus Christ even went to the end, even to the cross, and showed His love for us. Dear friends, we thank God for you watching and listening to the programme. May God bless you so that your life story may be a life of faith in the presence of God. In faith, Jesus Christ, we bid you farewell. Goodbye, dear friends. Until we meet again in faith, Jesus Christ, may your life story be one of divine purpose.