Make It Count: A Successful Life

Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.Gal 1:10 (NLT)When this life is over, and I stand before Jesus, what will matter?Will my friend's opinions matter on that day? What about my boss's? What about the scoreboard of my latest game or the grade on my final exam? No.  What will happen to the rest of my eternity will not depend on any of those things that day. That day the only thing that will matter is what Jesus says. If He says well done, I pass. If He says He never knew me, I fail.So often we live our lives focused on what others say and think of us. We live lives soaked with a pride that rides on our title or status. It seems that we are buying into things that get us no farther than a full casket and eternal hell. I think the saying goes, "You never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul." So, if we define success by all of these things, and all these things don't really matter, is that really success? No. A wise man once told me, "Seth, a man's level success is defined by His obedience to Christ."QUESTION:Are we living a life that counts to Christ?Please do not get me wrong, our salvation is not based on our obedience or anything else we can do. But, when a man experiences God's grace, he is driven by a deep thankfulness to live in a way that pleases God. Are we living out of thankfulness? Is Jesus really our Lord? Are we like Paul in our service, or are we wasting our lives away on things and opinions that don't matter?Don't waste your life.Make it count.