One day, this life is going to end. When it does, everything we’ve accomplished will cease to matter. Just like that. Society teaches us to spend our lives pursuing our goals, becoming successful, and accumulating as much stuff as possible. And none of it will matter a bit. Only what we do for Jesus will remain.
So why do we spend so much time, money, and effort learning how to manage our time, build our companies, and elevate our profile? None of this has any place in the life of a believer. It’s all idolatry and much of it is sinful. We’d never call it that, but the fact remains. We can ignore and run from the facts now, but when we die, the truth will be laid bare in a way none of us wants to face.
Pride was the original sin, and we are still spending inordinate amounts of time, attention, and resources to cultivate it in our own lives. We want to be seen as better than others. We want to be the best in our field. In short, we want others to look at us when our entire purpose for living is to point them to Christ.
Not only do I want you to think about what I’m saying, but I also want to make sure you hear what I’m not saying. I believe we should do everything we do with excellence. If Christ is our Lord, we will recognize everything we do is for Him (Colossians 3:23). If, as a result, you achieve some level of wealth or success, that’s not a bad thing. Just remember, every blessing God gives is for the use of building His Kingdom. If you use the resources that He entrusts to you for His glory, you never need to worry. But if you use it for your own glory, to build your own kingdom, then I would definitely worry. There will be a judgment, and the Lord will call us to account for what we did with what He gave to us.
The pursuit of life is to bring glory to God. We should never want attention for ourselves, but be vigilant in pointing others to Christ. Paul tells us to seek God first, and then the Lord will provide whatever we need (Matthew 6:31-33). What we need may not look like what we think. Perhaps what we need is God’s strength just to get through the day. I know He is faithful to provide what we need if we will only seek God first.
For those of us who grew up in the West, this is hard teaching. The world has conditioned us for most of our lives to seek fame, fortune, and glory. It’s difficult to deprogram our thinking. But if we are serious about following Jesus, we must understand we’ve got to let go of our dreams, ambitions, and plans. Seek God first and Him only. We don’t seek God for a moment and then get back to our own plans. That’s not commitment. That’s hoping to buy yourself a little insurance in case your plans fall through.
If you want to live your life wholly devoted to Christ, throw away your desires now. Commit to doing everything for His Kingdom and His glory. Let go of what you thought life was about and seek God. He’s the only One who is worthy of our lives. He alone is worthy of our devotion. Put away your pride and seek God every moment for the rest of your life.