The idea of not wasting our lives is present throughout the Bible, even though the exact instruction, "Do not waste your life," is nowhere to be found.
It's critical to comprehend what God considers to be a successful life. God's vision of a well-lived life may be different from our concept of not wasting our lives. Although the rich man in Jesus' parable did not believe that wasting goods for himself was a waste of life, God still referred to him as a fool at the end of his life (Luke 12:16–21).
Deuteronomy 6:5 contains a direct command from God on a life well lived. Moses makes the following statement regarding what God expects of His people: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." These words can be found in Micah 6:8: "He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does the LORD demand of you, then? To walk humbly with your God while doing what is just, kind, and merciful. Our Savior answers this question on the most crucial commandment in Mark 12:29–31: The most significant is, 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one. 'Love the Lord, your God, with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your mind, and all of your strength. Love your neighbour as yourself is the second. There is no greater commandment than these.
So, if we don't want to waste our lives, our ultimate motivation will be to love God with all of our hearts. A selfless love for others also emanates from this love for God. According to Ecclesiastes 12:13, we have a duty to "fear God and observe his commands" and to give God the praise in whatever we do (1 Corinthians 6:20; 10:31). A life spent in disobedience and selfishness-centeredness is a life wasted.
What good is it for someone to obtain the whole world but sacrifice or lose their very selves, Jesus pondered. (Luke 9:25). In this world, one may achieve enormous success and enjoy fame, wealth, influence, accomplishments, and accolades in abundance. However, if success is not sought after for God's glory and driven by love for God and others, it will be a waste of life.
In God's view, a faithful person who quietly performs menial tasks out of love for Him may be more successful than someone who is well-known and more gifted. If we don't want to waste our life, we will seek God's will and finish what has to be done out of a sincere love and gratitude for Him as well as a desire to bless and love others.
We must know and abide in Christ if we are to avoid wasting our lives. We must approach Christ in confidence, trusting that He worked for us through His death and resurrection. According to Hebrews 11:6, it is impossible to please God without faith, and a life lived in disobedience to him is wasted. The paradoxical truth that "whoever strives to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will save it" must be accepted by us (Luke 17:33). A life completely committed to Christ is never a waste. We know that one day we will hear God say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" as we live for His glory and work to love Him and others. (See Matthew 25:21.)
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