Wasted Lives

What do wasted lives look like? In John Piper's book, "Don't Waste Your Life", he tells the story of an old man in his town who finally came to salvation near the end of his life. The old man wept as he received Christ saying, "I've wasted it! I've wasted it!" John Piper was affected by this sight at a young age and also by a plaque that hung in his house. It read,

Only one life,
'Twill soon be past
Only what's done
for Christ will last.

What does this mean? To be honest I don't know exactly what it means. I think I know some things it doesn't mean though. I know it doesn't mean sitting on your butt watching tv. I know it doesn't mean building a mini-kingdom of earthly things that satisfy us and bring us pleasure. I know it doesn't mean living a lukewarm life of going to church and working a job that fills your bank account so that you can give your 10% to the church and spend the rest on yourself. I give all these examples in such detail because I have been guilty of all of them. I can tell you that there is absolutely no lasting joy in any of these things. So when I say I don't know exactly what the quote means, I guess I mean to say that I don't know exactly what it will look like for everyone. I think it will involve a whole lot of sacrifice and a whole lot of joy. I have tasted some of this joy of offering my body as a living sacrifice and there is no other joy like it. The comfort of middle-class American life is nothing compared to the exhilarating joy of being caught up in God's glory.

So what will living out the above quote look like for you who are reading this? What wonderful visions might God put into the heart that is wholly offered to Him! God will give you a vision and will lead you. Do you dread the thought of whole-hearted surrender to God that could leave you as a missionary in China or better yet, a sold-out risk-taking evangelist in your own workplace and neighborhood? Why do you dread the thought of your Savior's call? Is it that you suspect your Savior's call will be different from what is currently in your heart and you hesitate to give it up? But Christ is your source of joy and your heart must learn to know this! He will lead you down some crazy hard paths but He will be with you. Do you see what this means? It means that your source of joy will be with you!

In another book, John Piper poses the question whether on not we would be happy in heaven if Jesus wasn't there? That is a very revealing question. We would be miserable in heaven without Him. Jesus is the source of all lasting joy and I want to learn to follow Him more as such.

Jesus, lead me out of my comfortable and selfish life and let me lose myself in You and your glorious plan for my life. May I bring You glory, Lord, as I find my joy in Christ in all circumstances.