Live Like You Mean It

We have one opportunity to go through this life. We need to make the most of it.

So much of our time is wasted focusing on unimportant things. When this life is over and we look back on everything, will it matter that you were passed up for the promotion? Will you care if your child got the lead in her dance recital? Will you even remember the argument you had with your husband or wife over the remote control? Is anyone going to pat you on the back for the meticulous way you kept your lawn? Sure, these things aren’t unimportant to us- especially at the time they happen. However, we have to keep everything in perspective- God’s perspective.

But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. I Corinthians 3:13-15 (New Living Translation, NLT)

What are you building? Is it something that will remain or will the fire burn it up? The career you’re building, the house you’re overpaying for, the prominent positon you hold in the community, the possessions you’re accumulating- is it all worth it in the end? All the worry and striving to get ahead- to make it big- much of it may not be there once the smoke clears.

I’m not picking on people who are committed to their careers or who through wise planning and diligence have managed to have a nice house and can afford nice things. Not at all! God wants us to be blessed and to rise to the top. However, we must be mindful of the price we pay for such things and make sure we do not place too much value on things that really have very little signifiance in the overall scheme of things.

Step back a minute and take a hard look at what you think is so important and urgent right now. Is it really? Or is it just a minor thing in the scope of life? Maintain God’s perspective on your life and you’ll be able to keep everything in balance. Then you can focus on the things that matter most. That’s living like you mean it.