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“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…

…And now I commend you to God and the word of His grace,

which is able to build you up and to

give you the inheritance 

among all those who are sanctified.” 

~ Acts 20:24 & 32

 

Beloved sister,

Wait, what?? How could the Apostle Paul describe his life as worth nothing to him when he once described his life as highly esteemed? In Phil.3:5 he says, “You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book.” (The Message)

He enjoyed respect and influence in the Jewish community. He had an elite education from a well respected teacher of the Law. He was living a good life! What happened that he would say “but my life is worth nothing to me….”?

Can you guess? Does this pattern seem a tiny bit familiar? Paul was living ‘his best life’ until one day he encountered Someone who showed him a better way; the only true life!

Think about your own testimony. If you haven’t thought about it in a long time, speak it aloud, even if only to yourself! Better yet, practice by sharing it with an actual living, breathing person! Remember what your life was like before you encountered that nudge (or sledge hammer, as the case may be) of the Living Everlasting God! 

Was your life a mess before you realized that Jesus Christ wanted to rescue you from your sin? Or, like Paul, was your life one of power, influence and education before you realized that Jesus Christ wanted to rescue you from your sin? Perhaps you were wealthy in all respects, or at least comfortable, and felt you had no need or maybe even no sin?

But something happened that glorious, awful day that you discovered that you needed more. You needed Jesus! I know this pattern is true because I have lived it myself. I gave up my mess to Him, and He picked me up out of that miry clay and set my feet upon the Rock! By His power, my life is the exact opposite of where I was headed before!

So now, getting back to Paul’s declaration, is my old life worth nothing to me? Is my new life worth nothing to me? Before I came to know the Lord, I clung to my old life… it was all I had. The harder question for me now is, after all the blessings God has poured on me in my new life with Him, can I say that this new life of mine means nothing to me; is not dear to me?

I’ve been pondering that very question lately. Pastor G warns the single women in the congregation not to marry unless her husband-to-be loves Jesus more than he loves her. (and, presumably, the other way around) That is part of the concept that I think Paul was trying to teach…. that loving Jesus LESS than anything else, that NOT doing the assignment He has made for you leads you away from Him and leads you astray.

His assignment for you? Share the Good News of what He has done for you! Tell your story about the wonderful grace of God in your life! There is nothing more precious than helping another person, whom God already loves, on their way to knowing Him! 

When we are doing the Lord’s work, all the secondary loves of our lives fade into the background. When we bring our secondary loves into our work for the Lord it multiplies our joy! What’s more, Paul says that God will give us grace to do His work. The Lord Himself will build us up until that day we receive our promised inheritance! What a glorious way to spend our lives! We will leave every earthly treasure behind like rubbish when we come into our eternal, never fading inheritance!

OK, I’m about to ‘park the car’ now. Be courageous and give Jesus the steering wheel in your life! Put all that other good stuff in the back seat and enjoy the ride! He knows the road and He’s the best driver!

With love, your sister, Celeste