One reason that I feel that way is that He has shown me that most of life’s activities have little influence on anything important, and no eternal value. The older I get, the less I want to spin my wheels with things that do not matter. However, deciding what things do matter can be a challenge. Peter offers this:
Behave like obedient children. Don’t let your lives be controlled by your desires, as they used to be. Always live as God’s holy people should, because God is the one who chose you, and he is holy. That’s why the Scriptures say, “I am the holy God, and you must be holy too.” You say that God is your Father, but God doesn’t have favorites! He judges all people by what they do. So you must honor God while you live as strangers here on earth. You were rescued from the useless way of life that you learned from your ancestors. But you know that you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don’t last forever. You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb. (1 Peter 1:14–19, CEV)The first clue in deciding what is useful is that uselessness and sinful desires are partners. Christ died for the sinful things that I do. If I continue in them, I am adding to the list of what crucified Him. I’m also chalking up a lot of nothing for eternity. Because His blood takes away sin, sin will not enter eternity with me. It is useless. That means obedience is useful.
Peter also says that the life I learned from my human ancestors is also useless, at least all that I was taught that is not biblical has no eternal value. My parents gave me a good work ethic, yet hard work on the wrong projects for the wrong reasons does not have any lasting value. God encourages me to be diligent and steadfast in obedience, yet those traits are to be applied to the things He asks me to do, not just anything. Otherwise, what I do will be useless.
Third, Peter says that silver and gold do not last forever. Everyone knows that, even the people who die with their money stuffed in their casket. I cannot take money and stuff with me. My observation is that most people live as if they can. For so many, money and the desire for material gain is a huge motivation for countless useless activities, although money in itself is not evil. Paul wrote to Timothy:
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:6–10)If I put my focus on personal and financial gain, I am falling into that useless way of life from which Christ died to save me. Such motivations and actions are useless for eternity. It isn’t that poverty is useful but that I have an eternal perspective on material things. They will not last.
What then is useful? Peter says holiness and honoring God. Paul says godliness with contentment. Contentment seems passive, yet striving to live a holy life is far from it. Jesus was the holiest person to ever walk this earth, and although He became tired and slept, there is not much in the Bible about Him being idle.
Honoring God is also hard work. I’m continually battling my sinful desire to get honor for myself. Many don’t like it when God is honored so I also battle a desire to please people instead of giving God the glory that is due Him. Honoring God also means abandoning anything that dishonors Him.
In other words, even without any special assignments such as teaching a Bible class or taking care of a needy person or praying, or any other Holy Spirit-motivated task, if I erase the “useless” from my ledger and replace it with “godly living” there is no end of things to keep me busy.
No comments:
Post a Comment