Does Your Life Matter?

Will My Life Matter?

Satan’s cruelty is stunning! Even though he knows that selfishness destroys, he tempted even Jesus to act selfishly (Matthew 4:3). Even though he knows that God is utterly good, he tempted even Jesus to presume upon the goodness of the Father (Matthew 4:5-7). Even though he knows that “the law of the Lord is perfect...the testimony of the Lord is sure, the statutes of the Lord are right, and the commandment of the Lord is pure,” he tempted even Jesus to misunderstand and misapply God’s law (Psalm 19:7-11). Even though he knows that “the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up,” he tempted even Jesus to choose fame and fortune over loyalty to God (2 Peter 3:10, Matthew 4:8-9).

The devil loves to offer shortcuts to significance. He loves to offer substitutes that have the appearance of value, but hold no worth at all. He offers hollow dreams to hurting people, hoping that they’ll trust their wishes more than they trust God’s truth.

The devil loves to whisper lies. Through one means or another, he says to God’s people, “You don’t count. What’s one among six billion? Does anybody who matters even know who you are? Are you so arrogant as to think that your life really matters?”

The Lord loves to shout truth. We matter enough that He sent His Son to redeem us (John 3:16). We matter enough that Jesus Christ lets us wear His name (Acts 11:26). We matter enough that no power, whether physical, social, economic, political, or spiritual, “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39). Unless we rebel, we stand secure in Christ. We matter enough that God has entrusted the gospel to our care, as “God’s fellow workers” (Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Corinthians 3:9). We matter enough that God Himself intends to dwell with us forever (Revelation 21:1-3).

Will my life matter? It will if it is lived in Christ. Not a single deed done to the glory of God will be forgotten (Matthew 10:42, Hebrews 6:10). God will be glorified by every good work that we do in His name (Matthew 5:16). God will be pleased by both our good deeds and our worship (Hebrews 13:15-16).

Will my life matter? It will if I help even one other person obey the gospel of Christ or return to truth (James 5:19-20). To seek and save the lost is to step into the very mission of Jesus (Luke 19:10). Nothing, not even the whole material world, matters more than a soul (Matthew 16:25-27).

Divine Blessings

"Ordinary" Blessings

Written by Dr. Bill Bagents

I can’t remember where I read the quote. I’m not sure that I remember the exact words, but I love the message. “God is always speaking. How often do we listen? God is always teaching. How often do we learn?” There’s so much to learn from the ordinary events of life.

The cell phone rang so I answered. No one was there. After the third hello, I was preparing to be ill. Finally, Laura responded. She hadn’t called me—her back pocket had. We enjoyed a pleasant four-minute conversation. What I almost found to be a bother was really a blessing. That happens more often than we might think.

A friend whom I’ve never met in person calls from California. Our conversations are stunningly diverse. Recently he began with questions about faith and how we help faith grow. I offered suggestions from Luke 17:5 (pray, ask God to help), Romans 10:17 (listen to the word), and Hebrews 5:14 with Luke 17:5-10 (use what you have, do what you know to do). I suggested that God is for us and will help us. Then my friend responded, “That’s grace, and grace is too good to be true.” He wasn’t expressing doubt. Rather, he was emphasizing the stunningly amazing nature of grace.

Wondrous grace. Marvelous grace. Matchless grace. Too good to be true, but God has made it true through Jesus Christ. And we won’t grasp the full power of grace until we see our Lord in all His holiness and majesty (Titus 2:11-14, Ephesians 2:1-10, Revelation 1:12-18). We need to think of that often. Such thoughts will always bless. They’ll pull us toward heaven. They’ll cause us to hate sin. They’ll pull us toward God.

I picked up Laura for lunch. At the restaurant we saw one of the sweetest, most pleasant ladies we know. Every time we see her, we’re reminded of how much she has blessed our family. Seeing her made the meal better. Seeing her made the day better. I hope we had something of the same effect on her. God means for us to be and to bring blessings to others. It’s one of the ways that we are made in His image. It’s one of the ways that we preach the gospel (Matthew 5:13-16, 1 Peter 2:11-12 and 3:1-3). It’s one of the ways that we “stir up love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24).

True Riches

Are We Rich?

A little boy asked his father, “Dad, are we rich people?” As you might guess, the father proceeded with the standard answer. How rich is a relative term. How we have more than some people, but less than others. How that as much as we seem to have, we don’t think of ourselves as rich. Like 99% of the people I know, we think of ourselves as “somewhere in the middle.”

I want us to think about the question, “Are we rich?” I want us to look beyond the standard answer. By way of getting started, I need to tell you the truth. All of us who are Christians are rich people.

We are rich people because we have been reborn/redeemed. Romans 5:6-9. 1 Corinthians 6:20 reminds us that we have been “bought at a price.” 1 Peter 1:18-19 reminds us that we were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from our aimless conduct. We have been redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

We are rich people because we have an inheritance. I’m 45 years old, still young enough that I’ve never received an earthly inheritance. My parents are worth a nice chunk of change. They insist that part of that will be mine one day. To tell you the truth, I don’t want it. I’d rather keep them around. I have a brother who’s running the family farm, and I’d like to see him keep doing that. But, as a Christian, I have another inheritance, a greater inheritance. That one, I want with all my heart. Colossians 1:9-12. 1 Peter 1:3-5.

We are rich people because we know Christ/contentment. 1Timothy 6 says a lot about money and even more about true riches. It reminds us that we brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we can carry nothing out (v. 7). It warns us that those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition (v. 9). It urges us not to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy (v. 17). And, it tells us that godliness with contentment is great gain (v. 6). It challenges us to be content with food and clothing (v. 8), because true riches aren’t material. The greatest of all riches is eternal life with God.

We are rich people because we have hope. 1 Peter 1:3. 1Timothy 1:1, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope…” Hebrews 6:19, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…”