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. – Acts 20:24 NLT
So many people today are feeling tired, frustrated, scared, and overwhelmed by the events in their lives and in the world. They are wondering if their lives even matter, and if so, then how can they find worth in living.
How did Paul find worth in living? Paul found worth in living in two ways. He knew the work that Jesus had assigned him, and he did it. That sounds simple on the surface until you read the preceding verse in which Paul states, ” . . . the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead.”
This scripture poses two questions to followers of Christ who want their life to count for something. First, do you know the work to which you’ve been assigned by Jesus? If you know your current assigned work, then do it well as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23). If you don’t, then pray for God to show you. Simply live daily according to the things that the Bible tells us pleases God and that He requires of us; things like taking care of the poor, the orphans, and the widows, not letting the world corrupt us, forgiving ourselves and others, doing justly, loving mercy, walking humbly with God, and having a repentant and thankful heart. Unfortunately, some of us miss the daily assignment because we are looking for some great and grand calling. We can’t see the trees for the forest, the flowers for the bush. We don’t feed the hungry around us because we are looking for a great ministry to feed the hungry in the whole world. We don’t see the co-worker who needs our prayer because we are busy trying to set up a prayer ministry for our city. If we begin each day with praying for God to open our eyes to our assignment just for that day, the little things, the ways of being His hands and feet to those around us, then we will be doing the work to which we are called and finding worth in living.
Second, are we prepared and willing to suffer to complete our assignment. We can expect to suffer. As we are asking God’s guidance each morning to complete His work for the day, we can also as for grace, courage, mercy, strength, and all those other things we’ll need to be prepared and willing to suffer. This world is a messy place filled with anger, hurt, hate, evil, and people we would rather not have to deal with. Because of this, we can expect to be opposed in our work, but we must also be determined to have the pure grit and fearlessness to do that which God speaks into our heart. This comes only from loving and trusting God no matter our circumstance and unwavering determination to please Him.
Finding worth in life and knowing what God wants us to do has little to do with us and everything to do with them: family, neighbors, co-workers, the stranger whose car has broken down on the side of the road, the exhausted mother in the checkout lane in the grocery store … and all to the glory of God.
