THE LIFE THAT COUNTS

How can a Christian make his life count? Although a believer cannot lose his salvation, it is certainly true that he can waste his life so that it will not count for eternity. It has been rightly said, “A fool is a man all of whose plans end in time.” To avoid the tragedy of a wasted life, the Bible counsels every Christian as follows:

A. Count the cost of being a disciple of Christ. All believers are children of God, but not all are disciples. The terms of discipleship are given in Matthew 10:16-42 and Luke 14:25-35. To be a disciple means giving up comforts and earthly security. It means a life of self denial. It means the enmity and ridicule of the world. It means forsaking all to follow the Lord Jesus.

B. Make a deliberate commitment of your life to Him. Romans 12:1. Come to that point of decision where you yield your body a living sacrifice to God. This is the only reasonable thing to do in view of all that He has done. The great missionary C. T. Studd once said, “If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”

C. Abandon your life for Christ. The Savior said, “Whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” Matthew 16:25. In other words, if you want to know the full joy and happiness of life, you should live to please the Lord Jesus Christ and not yourself. The one who lives selfishly is a miserable, unhappy person.

D. Burn your bridges behind you. “Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.” Psalm 118:27. Make it as difficult as possible for yourself to turn back by severing all connections that would keep you from a life of wholehearted obedience and devotion to your Lord. Luke 9:23.

E. Don’t be sidetracked. So many start off well but then they lose the vision and slip back into the old routine. Good paying jobs, materialism, interesting careers, and many moral temptations will lure you away. Unwise marriages have been the downfall of many would-be disciples. The devil will use anyone or anything to divert you from God’s path for you. The Lord Jesus said, “No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62.

F. Live to serve. “The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” Matthew 20:28. True greatness lies in serving others. Don’t try to be on the receiving line. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35.

G. Crown Him Lord of all. If Christ rules in your life, each day will really count for eternity. Christianity is “not a pleasant pastime but a passionate quest.” It is not an easy life but a struggle. It costs nothing to become a Christian, but it costs everything to be one. It is not popularity but persecution; not comfort but a cross. But it is the best life. You serve the best of Masters. Your wages are the best, and you will like your work even better than your wages. Your rewards are wonderful, both now and in eternity.

We urge you, therefore, to give your life to Christ. Give Him your very best. Hold nothing back. May it be your supreme joy to hear Him say to you at last, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant … enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Matthew 25:21.

This text has been specially prepared for you by the Bible Broadcasting Network, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA and is made available to help you do two things. First, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.” II Timothy 2: 15. Second “…endure hardness, as a good solider of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who hath chosen him be a soldier and if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully.” II Timothy 2:3-5.