Do You Value Your Life?

What is the secular view of dying? What is the best advice this world has to offer about dying, specifically about the fear of dying? To answer that question, I looked to Psychology Today, which published an article by Dr. Michael R. Edelstein called “How to Overcome the Fear of Death,” updated in February of 2024.

Though he admits that the fear of death is “one of the most common fears people suffer from,” he declares this fear irrational and advises people to fight it with rational thinking. This thinking should be rehearsed “many, many times to overcome your fear of death”

“I'm not special so there's no reason I should live forever. I definitely do not like being mortal, but I clearly can stand what I don't like. Rather than spend my life worrying about dying, I would be significantly better off by diligently working to achieve my short- and long-term goals and objectives.”

Acts 20:22–25 “And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.”

Dr. Edelstein’s willingness to label the fear of death as irrational surely must not take into account of Hebrews 9:27 “…It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” While facing judgment before a holy God with the authority to sentence a person to eternal torment, is fear really irrational? No, it is the most fitting emotion possible for that scenario, and it should motivate a person to seek reconciliation with God.

But what about those who have found reconciliation with God on His terms? Should they fear death? They may perhaps fear the potentially unpleasant act of dying, but being made right with God, they have a different scenario to face in judgment, so their view of death is bound to be different.

Those who have been made right with God have the astounding opportunity to enter judgment with the joy of a convicted criminal whose fine the judge has just paid out of his own pocket.

Those who have been made right with God have the guarantee of entering judgment with the wide-eyed wonder of a young sheep that has been snatched from the jaws of a wolf and is enjoying the safety of resting in his shepherd’s strong arms.

Those who have been made right with God have the privilege of entering judgment with the delight of a young orphan being rescued from a deplorable orphanage to live out his days in the mansion of a wealthy family that has agreed to adopt him.

What a contrast with the fitting fear of those who face judgment without having been made right with God!

Enjoy these words uttered by our brothers and sisters in Christ as they faced death:

Dying words of Christians:

Samuel Rutherford (1600? – 1661)

“I am in the happiest pass to which man ever came. Christ is mine, and I am His; and there is nothing now between me and resurrection, except—Paradise.”

John Henry Newton (July 24, 1725 – December 21, 1807)

“I am still in the land of the dying; I shall be in the land of the living soon.”

William Wilberforce (1759 – 1833)

“My affections are so much in heaven that I can leave you all without a regret; yet I do not love you less, but God more.”

Adoniram Judson (1788-1850)

“I go with the gladness of a boy bounding away from school. I feel so strong in Christ.”

Here in Acts 20, Paul is wrapping up his 3rd missionary journey, and he is on his way to Jerusalem. He is speaking with the elders of Ephesus, and in the middle of his speech to them, he tells them that the Spirit of God is doing 2 things:

Compelling him to go to Jerusalem

Repeatedly letting him know that he is heading toward suffering and imprisonment

Next, Paul explains what he thinks about this news, and finally he tells the elders plainly that he will never see them again.

It is the middle part (what Paul thinks about his impending suffering, imprisonment, and—ultimately—death) that we will contemplate most carefully today.

We will consider Paul’s words through the lens of 3 questions that we will ask him:

What value do you see in your life?

What do you consider to be more valuable than your life?

How will you know if you have lived your life well?

Before we ask these questions of Paul, let’s ask them of ourselves. And just in case being here with your church would skew your answers, I want you to answer from the perspective of your 2:00 Monday afternoon self. Imagine where you typically are at 2:00 on Monday afternoon. (If you are typically napping at that time, pick a different time.) Let’s say someone on a Monday afternoon stops your routine and asks you those three questions. How would you answer?

Now it’s time to ask these questions of Paul.

What value do you see in your life?

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Paul’s answer is shocking, isn’t it? He answers, “I don’t see any value in my life.” And those of us who value life from womb to tomb say, “What?”

Let’s hear Paul out. It seems that he has more to say. “I don’t consider my life valuable or precious to myself.” Okay, it seems now that he is allowing some room for value and for preciousness, just not to himself. Maybe, then, his life has value to someone else.

But look, he has yet more to say. “I don’t consider my life valuable to myself as long as I finish my work, the assignment I have from Jesus.”

Now the vision is becoming clearer. Paul is ready for his life to come to an end as soon as he completes the work that Jesus has for him to do. His life, then, must be all about getting that work done.

A few years after this conversation with the Ephesian elders, Paul was in prison in Rome, and he wrote a letter to the church in Philippi. It was a letter that contained these words: “...Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:20-21). These words match Paul’s message here in Acts 20. Living means Christ—doing the work of Christ, sharing Christ, fulfilling Christ’s plan for Paul’s life. Dying means gain—eternal joy in the presence of the very One for whom Paul lived.

How did your answer compare? Can you say with Paul, “I don’t consider my life valuable to me, as long as I finish the work that Jesus has for me.”?

While the world fears death and chases longevity, a relationship with Jesus causes you to let go of everything that this world tells you to hold tightly, including your life span. The world grips money with a tight fist. Jesus comes into your life, and He is so much more precious that you find yourself turning your fist-grip over, stretching out your fingers, and saying, “Jesus, take it. Do with it as you please.”

The world grips family members tightly. Jesus comes into your life, and His purposes and promises are so grand that when your son is given the opportunity to go to a dangerous place to tell people about Jesus, you loosen the grip you have on him, and you say, “Go, my boy, go into all the world and make disciples for Jesus.”

The world clutches time and says, “You can’t have my Sunday mornings. That’s ME time.” Jesus comes into your life, and you start looking for opportunities to encourage your eternal brothers and sisters. You loosen your grip on your time, and you begin to find ways to redeem it for the Kingdom of God. You begin to say, “I don’t consider my life of any value to myself, as long as I finish the ministry that I received from Jesus.”

What do you consider to be more valuable than your life?

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Are you ready to learn a Greek word today? It is the word that is translated precious in this passage. It is the word τίμιος (timios, TIM-ee-os). Paul indicated that his life was not timios to himself. But Paul used the same word when writing to the church in Corinth to indicate something that was timios to him.

In 1 Corinthians 3:6 Paul referred to the church in Corinth when he wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” Then Paul switched his metaphors, and in v. 10 he wrote, “…Like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.” Then he explained that anyone who builds on this foundation may use perishable materials like wood and straw or he may use enduring materials like gold and precious stones (timios) stones. Now, I know that he is speaking figuratively here with his use of the term precious stones, but I still think it’s safe to say that those works that truly build up the church in a lasting way are precious to Paul.

If we were to ask other biblical authors, what would they say is precious?

The writer of the book we call Hebrews labeled marriage as precious. Hebrews 13:4 “Let marriage be held in honor among all...” The English word honor in that verse stands in place of the Greek word timios. If your partner in marriage is here, just look at that person and repeat after me: “Our marriage is timios.”

In a word picture, James called the harvest of souls at Christ’s return timios. (James 5:7)

Peter used the word more than any other New Testament writer. He wrote that three things are timios: faith (1 Peter 1:7), Jesus’ blood (1 Peter 1:19), and the promises of God (2 Peter 1:4)

In Revelation John called the light of the heavenly New Jerusalem timios.

Do your own values match those of the Bible? Let’s put the value of your days on earth on one side of the scale and each of these things—one at a time on the other side.

Do you consider church-growing teaching and church-growing acts of service more precious than your own life? I think Paul would have answered that question easily. The value that he found in his life was its ability to build the church.

Do you consider the institution of marriage as more precious than your life? Jesus did. Husbands, live with Ephesians 5:25 on your mind: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”

Do you consider people’s eternal souls as more precious than your life? Those who risk their lives to share the gospel do, as we all should.

Do you consider faith as more precious than your life?

Do you consider Jesus’ blood to be more precious than your life?

Do you consider the promises of God to be more precious than your life? If you are a Christian, they are the basis of your life, right? Your life purpose, your motivations, your passions, your values, everything about you is rooted in God’s promises as you, like Abraham, look forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

Do you consider the light of the New Jerusalem to be more precious than your life? You may wonder what the big deal is about the city’s light. Let me tell you. Revelation 21:23 says, “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”

How will you know if you have lived your life well?

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Within the world of racing, the term DNF indicates that a competitor did not finish the race. Different racers have different views of a DNF designation, some suggesting that it is shameful and others indicating that it is just a part of the sport. Paul thought of his life as a race, and to him finishing well was of vital importance. A DNF status at the end of his life would have devastated him.

His view of life and death went something like this: “As long as I have lived faithfully and completed the work that Jesus has given me to do, I do not mind the timing of my death.”

Paul wanted to make sure that his audience knew exactly what he meant when he spoke of the ministry that he had received from the Lord, so he defined it for them. His ministry was “to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

We know that there were times in Paul’s life when he worked as a tentmaker, and there were times when he taught and preached full-time. Either way, he saw his ministry as the work of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

If you have not adopted that perspective on life, I pray that you will even today, even now, in this moment. Whether you are retired or you are a stay-at-home mom or you report to a job on a regular basis or you are a student, may you see the core of your work as your representation of Christ on the earth.

May you, in the moments before your death, be able to say with confidence, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day.” Paul wrote to Timothy that this crown was not for himself only, but also for all who have loved Christ’s appearing.