“My life is worth nothing unless . .” Acts 20:24 Living Bible
“To have true worth, life’s brevity must be invested in things eternal.”
Lauren, my thoughts today are about “things eternal.”
Have you considered how you would finish the statement of today’s verse? Unless what? What would make the years of your lifetime more worthwhile? You are given only so much time; the actual extent of your lifetime is unknown to you. How you use that time – what you do of lasting value during your life’s season – will determine the worth of the life you live. That will be left for God and others to judge. Meanwhile, you need to live with clarity about matters that are truly important, and those things will ultimately touch what is eternal.
Some years ago, God seemed to be speaking to me about committing myself to “daily focus on Kingdom priorities and eternal realities.” It is easy to just live day by day reacting to the random things that arise and the routines that are comfortable and familiar. But is that how you want to live? Will ordinariness provide sufficient satisfaction?
God would have you engaged with what is important and of priority to His will and work in the world. For life to be truly worthwhile, you have to live everyday with eternity in view. In the grand and eternal scheme of things, even the longest of lifetimes is brief by comparison. To have true worth, life’s brevity must be invested in things eternal.
For life to be filled with joy and meaning, it has to be lived with purpose. That purpose has to be bigger than you, greater than your plans, and well beyond your simply seeking comfort and accumulation of possessions. Only what God counts worthy will you find ultimately worthwhile.
Each day you live is the currency with which you are investing in life and eternity. Jesus advises you to “stockpile treasure in Heaven where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.” Matthew 6.20-21 The Message. Jesus was teaching about having worth, and protecting that worth for eternity. He knew that your eternal destiny is determined by your direction, and your direction is drawn toward what you value and count worthwhile to give your time, talent, and treasure.
Here’s how the Apostle Paul finished the sentence, “My life is worth nothing unless . . I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus.” Acts 20:24 NLT. Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of that verse voices Paul’s heart this way, “What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master gave me of letting everyone know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.” I want that to be said of my life! If you want that to be said of your life, be clear about what it takes to make that so.
Lauren, my prayer for you today is that you prefer His plans for your life above your own.