INVEST IN YOUR LIFE

    “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.
“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.
    “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’
    “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
    “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’
“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
    “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’
    “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
    “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  Matthew 25:14-30 (NLT)

If you were at the end of your life, and I asked you, “Was your life worthwhile?” How would you answer that? Based on the path you are currently on, how would you know if you made your life count in eternity? Would God look at you and say “Well done,” or would He say, “Well, what have you done?” Sure, we don’t earn heaven through works, but we are held accountable for living a life “worthy of the call.” What you do with Jesus determines where you spend eternity, but what you do with regard to what you were assigned to do determines how you spend eternity. 

Most people want to live a good life, but many people die still holding on to unfulfilled dreams. Somehow they became a “human doing” rather than a “human being.” Make your life count. Live a life worthy of the call God has placed on you. 

There are three things you can do with life:

1. I can waste my life. 
Live for today. Do my own thing. If it feels good, do it. This person acts first and thinks later.  

2. I can spend my life. 
I can spend it on a career, a family, making a name for myself. This person has a “what’s in it for me” mentality.  

3. I can invest my life.
The best use of my life is to invest it in something that outlasts it. This person will leave a lasting legacy. 

The people who waste their lives, are foolish. The people who spend their lives are average. For example, they get up, go to work, come home, watch TV, go to bed, retire and die. But the people who invest their lives are leaders. Leaders leave a mark, a lasting impact on life, and when they reach their last breathe they have little regrets. Who will you choose to be?

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Ephesians 4:1 (NLT)