Acts 20:24 ( NKJV ) 24But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
One of the most revealing questions a person can ask his-self or herself is “What are you living for?” What in life do you value the most and spend most of your time doing? Sadly, the answer to that question many times if we where honest with each other is “self”. As a Pastor I have counseled many couples whose marriage is struggling and almost always the main root problem is that one or both of them are selfish in some area of the marriage. The same could be said from my experience as a parent. When my children are feuding with each other 99% of the time it is when one or both are being selfish about their toys or possessions. Also, we could look at the church and see the same truth. When a church is divided and fueding the problem can also usually be traced back to selfishness or pride. So, it should be pretty apparent to all of us that most of the time we are concerned with self way too much.
For the Christian the answer to the question “What are you living for?” it obviously should be “Jesus”. In the passage above the writer of the book of Acts I believe to be the apostle Luke and he basically says that he counted nothing in this life, even his own life as worthy to what God had called him to do. Luke’s committment to God & His calling was more important than anything else and he was willing to die for it. The Apostle Paul says something similiar by saying “For me to live is Christ but to die is gain.” Also, Jesus says, ”He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Biblically speaking the greatest joy to be had as a Christian is to live a life completely consumed with the Lord Jesus Christ and the work He has called us to. There is nothing in this world that should more valuable to the Christian than our faithfulness to Christ & the work He calls us to. So, let us ask oursleves again “What are you living for?”
In Christ Alone,
Pastor Dewayne Slusher
