Significance

I am up at 3:30 a.m. on Monday morning still thinking about the second point of the sermon on Sunday. The sermon was What on earth Am I Here For?, the first in the 40 Days of Purpose campaign. The second point asks, "Does my life matter?" It is a question about the significance of my life.

The answer is, my life matters because I was made to last forever. At first there was seemed to be a real disconnect logically for me in this point. I kept it in the sermon because obviously, if I last forever, this life matters because it determines my eternal destiny. Here is my trouble, that is selfish and man centered and thus, did not jive with the first point, which says my life has a purpose, to be loved by God. Which means life is all about God, not all about me.

So, how does the eternality of my existence make my life significant? There are several reasons that I have come up with during my insomnia.

First, my life is significant because it matters to God. My individual life was planned for God's pleasure. That does not mean that God planned, or forces, the whole thing to be a bed of roses. As a matter of fact, the rougher the start and the more glorious the end, the greater the glory to God.

Second, my life is significant to me. Obviously, this life determines the eternal reward or punishment that I receive from God. That makes this life eternally significant to myself.

Third, considering the other five purposes, my life is significant eternally because of what I do for others. Worship is often corporate and we learn about the greatness of God often through others worship; the eternal significance of another persons life affects us. Fellowship requires others. For others to fulfill their eternal purpose of fellowship they need my presence and help. Discipleship is essentially learning from another. I know of no true Christian who discipled himself or herself. Discipleship is a team sport, you matter to others. Ministry and service is a social function. You must serve others and they you. Plus, your service may impact them eternally. Evangelism is obviously other focused as well. When you share Christ, you change another persons eternal reward of punishment for them.

Consider Abraham. Through him all nations on earth have been and will be blessed. His one life became eternally significant for all who have had a relationship with God ever since. There was a cost, really, how many of us would like our Hagar, Ishmael, and laughter at God's promises written down for all of history to read? But, because he trusted God with everything, even his greatest failures are teaching us eternal lessons.

Now, I consider many funerals I have preached. Technically, I must preach God's grace and present the family with hope that their loved one is in heaven because I prayed the sinners prayer with them just before the person died. But what I often want to do is scream out to the family, "Don't live your life like this!" "This was a horrible example!" In many cases at funerals I believe that ministers simply allow the message of a life to be, here is how you can live really bad and still go to Heaven.

So, if you choose to live a life that disregards God, it will be eternally significant and you will drag many others to your luke-warm eternal demise. But, if you choose to serve God 100%, you will influence the happy, prosperous, and rewarding eternity of many.

No mater what you do, your life is eternally and immensely significant.

It is now 4:05. Tomorrow will be quite significant and I should go back to bed.