Presenting ...
... a weekly letter of encouragement.
Singapore
1 May,
1996
Good Morning!
SUCCESSFUL OR SIGNIFICANT...? That is the question
we must ask of ourselves.
Is it possible we could be leading highly successful lives
that are relatively insignificant?
Why is it that so many of us wake up in mid-life with a pit in
our stomach, feeling we lack meaning, value or purpose?
Perhaps it is because in our drive for "success"
we have highlighted the temporal at the expense of that
which is truly significant: The eternal.
"Success" in life, as we are inclined
to define it, usually relates to secular achievement in a manner
that garners the approval or admiration of our fellow-man.
Jesus cautioned us however:
"...What is highly valued among
men is detestable in God's sight...What good will it be for a
man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what
can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
(Luke 16:15b; Matthew 16:26)
"Significance" in life as God views it,
is related to focusing primarily on the eternal: The glory
of God and the Kingdom of God.
The night before the cross, Jesus prayed to the Father: "I
have glorified Thee on earth, I have finished the work You gave
me to do." (John 17:4)
That is, He had succeeded in building Kingdom values into the
lives of the 11 Disciples. From God's perspective, our lives
are lived in a significant manner when we emulate Jesus' example:
"...He has committed to us the
message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors,
as though God were making his appeal through us..."
(II Cor. 5:19b ,20a)
IS MY LIFE SUCCESSFUL OR SIGNIFICANT?
The answer lies in whether I place my primary focus on
the temporal or the eternal...On whether I view
my work fundamentally as an opportunity to enhance the Kingdom
of God, or principally as an opportunity to further my personal
goals?
The choice, of course is ours.
I trust you are having a great week!
Dwight Hill
© Copyright 1996 Dwight Hill. Unlimited permission to copy or use is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.
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