What's It Worth?
Scripture: Acts 20:24
"But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God."
Observations:
As Paul said farewell to the elders of the church in Ephesus, he informed them about his plans to continue preaching about Christ on his way to Jerusalem. God had revealed to him that he would in fact experience continued suffering in each city for the sake of Christ. But that didn't deter Paul from continuing on. Instead, he had already determined to keep preaching And sharing Christ everywhere no matter what it cost him personally. Where did he get such determination and motivation? He explained further that at some point in the past he had aready determined that his mission was more valuable than his own life. His motivation then had nothing to do with his circumstances or personal comfort- dead people rarely care about such things. He wasn't living for himself anymore; he was now literally living for one purpose- to advance the messge of Christ in the world. Paul was bold and fearless because he had nothing to lose. Even if he lost his life in the process, he truly understood that he still possessed something more valuable. As far as he was concerned, the one thing that gave his life value was completing the work God had given him to do- nothing more, nothing less.
Application:
We tend to look at people like Paul and wonder how anyone could be that committed to Christ. We think to ourselves, "it's great to be committed to Christ, but I think he's going a little overboard. Doesn't he realize that there's more to life than just preaching?" But what we fail to realize is that we, not Paul, are the ones who have missed it. One day in eternity, we will consider everything in our lives that did not help us complete the work God has given each of us to do completely worthless. If that will be true then, what's preventing us from recognizing that truth right now? If we, like Paul, ever truly grasped this truth it would revolutionize the way we live, the things we value, and how we spend our time, money, and energy. The question though is, what's keeping us from embracing this truth? What exactly are we valuing, focusing on, investing our lives in more than the work God has given each of us to do? Whatever that thing is robbing God of the glory He will one day receive from our lives. All of us must continually ask ourselves two questions: "what is the work God has given me to complete?" and "am I doing it to the best of my ability today?"
Prayer:
Father, help us to see everything in light if eternity. Keep us focused on the work You have given each of us to do for Your Kingdom and may we consistently give ourselves fully to it. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
"But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God."
Observations:
As Paul said farewell to the elders of the church in Ephesus, he informed them about his plans to continue preaching about Christ on his way to Jerusalem. God had revealed to him that he would in fact experience continued suffering in each city for the sake of Christ. But that didn't deter Paul from continuing on. Instead, he had already determined to keep preaching And sharing Christ everywhere no matter what it cost him personally. Where did he get such determination and motivation? He explained further that at some point in the past he had aready determined that his mission was more valuable than his own life. His motivation then had nothing to do with his circumstances or personal comfort- dead people rarely care about such things. He wasn't living for himself anymore; he was now literally living for one purpose- to advance the messge of Christ in the world. Paul was bold and fearless because he had nothing to lose. Even if he lost his life in the process, he truly understood that he still possessed something more valuable. As far as he was concerned, the one thing that gave his life value was completing the work God had given him to do- nothing more, nothing less.
Application:
We tend to look at people like Paul and wonder how anyone could be that committed to Christ. We think to ourselves, "it's great to be committed to Christ, but I think he's going a little overboard. Doesn't he realize that there's more to life than just preaching?" But what we fail to realize is that we, not Paul, are the ones who have missed it. One day in eternity, we will consider everything in our lives that did not help us complete the work God has given each of us to do completely worthless. If that will be true then, what's preventing us from recognizing that truth right now? If we, like Paul, ever truly grasped this truth it would revolutionize the way we live, the things we value, and how we spend our time, money, and energy. The question though is, what's keeping us from embracing this truth? What exactly are we valuing, focusing on, investing our lives in more than the work God has given each of us to do? Whatever that thing is robbing God of the glory He will one day receive from our lives. All of us must continually ask ourselves two questions: "what is the work God has given me to complete?" and "am I doing it to the best of my ability today?"
Prayer:
Father, help us to see everything in light if eternity. Keep us focused on the work You have given each of us to do for Your Kingdom and may we consistently give ourselves fully to it. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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