How Not to Live a Worthless Life!
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I have been seeking to encourage all of us to live the most productive lives we can. We cannot do that without the favor of God. Without his blessings, we are nothing. He wants us to have life and life abundantly. That is why he sent Jesus to show us the way. He told us he was the way to truth and life and only through him could we experience the joys of his kingdom here and now, and in the world to come receive a rich inheritance in the world to come.
If we are to follow him to the kingdom to experience that life we are to deny ourselves take up our cross and follow after his ways. The example of life he showed us.
Remember the words that Jesus told his disciples:
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.
What type of life did he show us? The life of a servant. A servant doing the will of the Father in heaven. Therefore, what type of life should we be living? The life of a servant of the Father!
All throughout scripture we see examples of his servants overcoming life’s difficulties and living lives commendable unto God and present to us as lives of examples to follow.
Additionally, he shows us examples of lives and lifestyles to avoid if we expect to live the good life. If fact, he shows us lives that are utterly considered worthless to him. If it is worthless to him, if is a life that he will discard in the trash heap of eternity at the judgement. Of all things to do with our lives, we don’t want to be considered worthless to God.
I desire for you to live a worthwhile life serving him. Therefore today, we will discuss
How Not to Live a Worthless Life!
Because, Your Life Is A Terrible Thing To Waste
What is a worthless Life? It is defined by God as a life not lived for his glory.
19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed,
25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’
26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?
27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.
28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.
29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Your life is a terrible thing to waste!
God has given us all life. No life given, is worthless in God’s eyes. Everything created by God has a purpose. Every thing has a purpose under the sun. Everything was created for his glory! To not live our life for the glory of God makes our life worthless to God!
There is nothing to live for outside of Living for the glory of God. Solomon said
3 What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?
14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.
18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me,
19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.
20 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun,
21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.
22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun?
After he said all of these things, and wrote a great book of wisdom, his final conclusion was this
13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Now Say:
I was created for the glory of God, I will not live a life that is considered worthless in His eyes!
We must be ever mindful of the reality that we have an appointment with death when our work will end.
27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Now Say:
I was created for the glory of God, I will not live a life that is considered worthless in His eyes!
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
I was created for the glory of God, I will not live a life that is considered worthless in His eyes!
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
I was created for the glory of God, I will not live a life that is considered worthless in His eyes!
Paul understood what was expected of him and was willing to live his life for the Glory of God
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
I was created for the glory of God, I will not live a life that is considered worthless in His eyes!
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
Now Say:
God has an expectation of me. I will fight the good fight and finish the race and I will keep the faith to receive the crown of righteousness. I will not be worthless in his kingdom!
He has given you the ability to be successful at serving him! He has never called anybody to do a thing and not given them the things necessary to do it!
In the story of the talents, each was given according to his ability. It was expected they would perform according to their ability.
Failure to perform meant what? Being cast out of His presence since he did not consider the Master to be honored.
What has God given us for us to be successful at giving God the glory?
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
He has given himself! What does this mean if he has given himself?
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Therefore, he is with us! And if he is with us, what does that mean?
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Now Say:
God has an expectation of me. He is with me. So who can be against me? I will not be worthless in his kingdom! I will live for His Glory!
We have absolutely no excuse to not make our major purpose in life serving God and exalting the name of Jesus!
We cannot even claim to be afraid. No matter what we see with our eyes are here think or feel, God has already given us the victory!
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,
9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
We are overcomers! What ever mountains that may be placed in our way , We will move them out of the way.
We must learn to be bold and courageous. We must not be afraid or dismayed for the Lord our God is with us wherever we go!
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
God has an expectation of us to be faithful in trying to succeed. If we put forth the effort, God may give us the victory. If we put forth no effort, we can be certain, that without faith, we will fail
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Now Say:
God has an expectation of me. I will overcome every obstacle that gets in my way! I will not be worthless in his kingdom!
God has given us all we need to be productive. The only reason we cannot succeed with God is because we are too lazy to do it and therefore are wicked because of our laziness.
Wicked and Lazy because we won’t take a stand for justice
wicked and lazy because we don’t think he deserves the time
wicked and lazy because we don’t want to be obedient
wicked and lazy because we want to do it our way and don’t think she’s worth it
If we will work for human beings, we ought to serve God without hesitation. He is the one that has given us life, he is the one that keeps us alive. Why do we choose to spit in his face and do things that are important to us rather than things that are important to him?
The only way to please God is by being Diligent!
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
TO NOT TRY TO DO SOMETHING GREAT FOR CHRIST SHOWS A LACK OF FAITH,
AND WITHOUT FAITH YOU CANNOT EXPERIENCE YOUR BEST LIFE
A. God has an expectation of all of us. Therefore, we must try to do something!
He has already given us everything we need to be productive in his kingdom.
If we give him something to work with, he will work through us to accomplish what he has purposed for us to do.
What we lack, he more than makes up for it!
Now hear this…
IT IS BETTER TO TRY TO DO SOMETHING AND FAIL THAN TO TRY AT NOTHING AND TO SUCCEED.
God Has Given Us All Life and He has a plan for our life. He has given us the ability to accomplish his plan. If we fail to follow his plan, we will miss out on his best blessings.
28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.
Those who are faithful will be given more because they are faithful.
Remember the faithfulness of Moses?
24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,
25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
A life is wasted if it is not live for the glory of the Lord and a life is a terrible thing to waste!
Now Say:
God has an expectation of me, I will not live a worthless life! He has given me what I need to be successful and receive his blessings!
14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.
15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
NOW SAY:
GOD HAS AN EXPECTATION OF ME, I WILL NOT LIVE A WORTHLESS LIFE!
First Timothy 6:12
12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Because I was created to excel and not fail, that is my divine potential!
How have you been living your life, To the glory of God, Or The glory of another?