Summertime StoriesSample

Acts 20:24 

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.

There are a lot of different ways people measure their worth. A student may work hard every single night to get the grade he needs to earn that scholarship. An athlete may put in hours and hours of extra work to get herself a spot on a team at the next level. The CEO might spend day and night at the office, trying to make her business as profitable as possible. The homeowner may put himself into debt buying things he doesn’t need and can’t afford in order to keep up with his wealthy neighbors. It might be a bank statement or a promotion or a new car or a relationship, but everybody has something that they use as the measuring stick of their self-worth. 

We’re all anxious to matter, to mean something, to leave a bigger impression on the earth than just the hole they bury us in one day. But we can’t, not really. We may build a big house, but someone else will live in it one day. We may have a great job, but one day someone else will have all our responsibilities. We may raise great kids, but one day they’ll grow up and leave us behind. Eventually, everyone fades, their deeds are forgotten, and all they accomplished belongs to someone else. 

That’s kind of depressing. Isn’t there any way to live a life that matters? Of course, there is, and Paul lays it out for us right here. Our life has value if we use it to finish the work we’ve been assigned: telling other people the Good News.

Our lives only have meaning if we fulfill the plans that God has made for us. Our success or wealth or status won’t last, but the things that we did to love others and share God’s Kingdom will endure into eternity. 

What about you? How are you trying to give your life meaning and value? Let’s commit today to find our value in Christ and His purposes for us today.