Most people have one or more irrational fears. These kinds of fear are far worse in our minds than they are in reality. As much as we want to think otherwise, irrational fears exist largely only in our minds. My greatest fear, however, is not of the irrational variety. It is only too real, based on hard cold facts and unyielding truth. My greatest fear is when I die my life will be labeled by God as “wasted”.
It will have been wasted because I spent most of the time and energy entrusted to me pursuing the pleasures and delights of this world rather than living a life dedicated wholly to Him. There is no recovery from a wasted life. It’s over, done, and labeled for eternity.
We don’t often think of each breath as being a gift from God. In a world growing darker and more evil every day, our Creator has entrusted us with a finite amount of time to manage. Our breaths are a blessing, but they are limited and they are running out. The time we spend on earth is ours to manage. We will invest it building God’s Kingdom or waste it in selfish pursuits. The difference is dramatic and bears repeating: we will either invest the time given to us, spending it in ways which actually builds a huge storehouse of blessings in Heaven for all eternity; or we squander it on useless and fading quests, never finding what we seek and ultimately wasting our lives.
Jonathan Edwards once penned, “Resolved… that all men would live for the glory of God; resolved, second…that if nobody else does, I will.” A wasted life looks the same as that lived by everyone else. It’s not difficult to imitate those around us. It’s easy to get caught up in chasing after things the world tries to convince you are essential and necessary. Recognize when you are enticed by the world it really means you are allowing yourself to be attracted by Satan. Over the years Christians have become far too comfortable saying “the things of the world” without understanding the phrase really means “the things of Satan”. Do you actually want to spend your life in pursuit of the things of Satan?
I write these words and my soul is ignited; I pray you are stirred as well. But it’s not enough to be moved by these concepts; we must put them into action. Our lives will be wasted unless we stand against the distractions of Satan and live our lives only for the cause of Christ. We are either for Him or against Him (Mark 9:40). Our every thought, word, and action is either for Jesus or against Him. When we die, our lives will be measured. Will we have made it count? Will we have invested the time in God’s Kingdom or wasted it in self-seeking pursuits which honor Satan? If Jesus is truly your Lord, if you love Him like you say you do, you will draw a line in the sand. You will determine to live a life which will never be labeled as wasted.