Acts 20:24

But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solely to God’s grace. (NASB)

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. (NLT)

But that’s OK. That’s no tragedy for me because I don’t cling to my life for my own sake. The only value I place on my life is that I may finish my race, that I may gladly tell the good news of God’s grace. (VOICE)

We often feel like we fail at life unless we’re getting something out of it. Usually, that “something” must be immediate – things like recognition, fun, money, and success. Paul viewed his life differently. Paul says that life is worthless unless he used it to accomplish something that God called him to do. This is what we’re to be known for. Let’s face it, how many of us, young and old, have wandered or are wandering through life trying to figure out what our place is. How can we change our world and make a difference? We struggle finding our place. God created us for a purpose and a promise, and we must go to him to find our promise. For me, when I was let go of my Youth and Kids’ Ministry position, I struggled to find my place. I found a place at another church as their secretary and treasurer. This brought familiarity to me, while also adding some new skills to my abilities. When I was at Kroger, I knew what I wanted (to help people) and it showed me how I could do that there, wasn’t it. So, I quit – learned what did NOT work. Then I got to do taxes and felt the perfect mold of everything. I put to work the finance skills I had, the people skills to cover it, and got to help people with something that they needed to do. I was perfect. I was comfy. I was happy. Unfortunately, it’s seasonal, so I had to make sure I was covered the rest of the season. I landed in life insurance it’s been – something. I’ve gotten to help 7 families so far in the 3 weeks I’ve been on the phone. It’s been a conflicting journey, but I’ve learned a lot about myself and the product and have really gotten into it. I’m not fully there like I am with taxes, but we’ll see.

Paul rejoiced in sharing the Gospel and the wonderful grace of God. God’s grace in his undeserved favor that was freely given to his creation, which transforms us by no power of our own. Receiving God’s grace, most visibly given in the forgiveness of our sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus, changes our lives and motivation. We have new life in Christ! The old selves are washed away through his blood, and we are made white as snow as our body and identity become a part of the family of Christ. Grace allows us to have a relationship with God, a heart of thankfulness, and a humbled spirit before our sovereign king. Grace says we can go bold before God, because the sacrifice Jesus made tore down the curtain of the of the temple and removed the barrier between us and God. Grace says that God doesn’t give up on us, showing that there will always be a constant hope for us to go out and be the person that God called us to be. We can come humbly before God so we can enjoy the presence of who God and a reminder of where we would be without him.

Single-mindedness is a quality needed by anyone who want’s to do God’s work. The single most important goal for Paul’s life was to share the gospel. God is looking for more people that will focus on this one task. People many times over have asked, “Why don’t you become a pastor?” Truthfully, I’m nervous. There’s a lot of pressure with becoming a pastor, especially in a denomination that follows a lot rules. There’s pressure to ensure that I’m meeting the needs of my congregation. There’s polity and corporate management in a lot of churches nowadays that I do not care about. If my job was to go out and teach primarily, then we’re good. I would love to be a curriculum developer for youth ministry. So, this blog is my gateway to that, even though it’s not directed at youth. For y’all, it’s easy to share too. Find the share button on this blog or share button this post and share it on your socials. That does count as sharing the Gospel.

Next slice of manna: Manna for the Mind #218