School is back in session, and although I’m not teaching, life is moving at a neck-breaking pace. I’m spending myself on so many things, too.
What about you?
Let’s both take a little breather with this Kid Snippets clip before we go any further.
I can’t help smiling at the poor “little” fellows. They’re both trying so hard, and the math-challenged one reminds me why I spent so much of my life teaching English and counseling.
Many of us spend our lives on everything but the right thing, and sometimes we get offended when people question us. I know I do.
But what if we are wasting ourselves on the wrong things for all the wrong reasons?
Finding out too late we sacrificed ourselves on the wrong things would be the mistake of a lifetime.
God calls it “laboring in vain.” And, boy, do these words give me chills.
What about you?
Here are a couple examples of where He mentions this in the Bible.
She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor be in vain, she is unconcerned . . . ” Job 39:16
Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.” Psalm 127:1-2Wow, God gives to those He loves even in their sleep! What a blessing!
Think about it as you read these next verses on how we should live. Also, see what else He gives.
The sting of death is sin . . .but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” I Cor. 15:56-58
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.“ Phil. 2:14-16
Obviously, no one can live this way without Christ. So I’m speaking to those who have Him.
But Paul, who shared the gospel with non-believers and believers alike, says his labor would NOT be in vain if those he taught actually held to “the word of life” and “lived in a manner worthy of the calling (Eph.4:1).
If you’re seeking, like I am, to learn more about Jesus, we need to hold on to this teaching and ask Him to help us live it out.
So how shall we live?
What brings you life? That crazy schedule or the late nights spent trying so hard to be ready for the next big thing?
I’m asking because I’ve been there and done that. But that’s not the way to live, and it doesn’t provide what we ultimately so desperately need and want.
As we both consider all that energy, stress, time, money, and pressure we spend, I want to be more senstive to what He wants and to prioritize bringing Him glory.
What about you? What bothers you about your life? What’s the one thing that would make your life better if you had it?
Leave a comment. I’d love to hear what you’re facing. Maybe we can encourage each other.
Here’s another profound take on the subject of sacrificing yourself. Tell what you like about it? Where do you need help? Leave a comment or contact me.