a life that matters:day six

[Reflect on the impact your life is having on the people around you. How can you begin to live a life of eternal significance? How does all of this relate to Ephesians 2.8-10?]

I wonder if it begins with discovering and acknowledging that I am created for something bigger than myself. God has created me, not to live independently from him, but rather to join Him in His huge project of restoration of all things. He’s been expecting me. When He dreamed me up, before time, He also dreamed up some big things for us to do together. He picked me to be on His team, not just to sit on the side and “reap the benefits,” but to be a key player–he even drew up some plays for me! How can I take that for granted?

a life that matters:day five

[Read & meditate on John 14.6. Let's unpack the words Jesus uses to describe himself:
way--the way of life or road to be traveled
truth--the way things really are-ultimate reality
life--absolute fullness of life
How could being a disciple of Jesus lead you to live a life of eternal significance?]

Jesus makes it possible for me to not have to wander around, lost and confused. He makes it clear–his way is the best life possible. As a disciple, my desire, or better yet, my resolve must be to learn to be like him in every way. There are many roads in life–the best road is Jesus, I need to travel with and through him. He is absolute truth, the way things are really supposed to be. I need to understand that I won’t find a better life anywhere, but in him. No one lived a more significant life here on earth than Jesus. Isn’t it possible that this would be my only hope for such a thing?

a life that matters:day four

[Read & meditate on John 17.3. How could this bring about a life of eternal significance?]

“This is eternal life (a life that matters): that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Jesus came so that we might know God, not just about God, but an intimately dependent relationship with Him. Just like it was originally supposed to be.
Maybe, as someone created in God’s image, I can never truly know who I really am until I begin to know the One in whose image I am created.
Can I really trust God enough to live a life of obedience to Him if I don’t really know Him intimately. They say that rules without relationship leads to rebellion. God has done everything possible to pursue me in relationship. Perhaps, I rebel because I haven’t pursued the relationship. What an incredible mystery! What a beautiful idea!

a life that matters:day three

[Read & meditate on John 10.10. What does that kind of life look like?]

Life to the fullest. True life. Real life. You get the sense that it is the life that we always wanted. The life we are looking for. A life where the things I do have incredible significance. A life where I laugh harder, cry more deeply, and listen more intently. My eyes are open and I actually see things that I’ve never seen before. I take time to be still and I take time to run and to dance. There is a sense of wholeness, a sense that the fruit of my efforts and my thoughts will last, that they will make a deeper impact on those around me. A sense that I am part of restoration rather than deterioration and destruction. Community rather than isolation. It would be a whole life.

a life that matters:day two

[Read & meditate on Matthew 19.16-24. How does Jesus say we can have a life that matters?]

You get the sense that Jesus understood that the rich young man was putting his confidence in and trying to find his significance in the kingdom that he had built for himself. It’s as if he just wanted to add Jesus kingdom to his own. Unfortunately, they don’t mix very well. In order to experience a life of eternal significance, I need to embrace Jesus and his way, first and foremost. I need to put my confidence and significance in him, not myself, my possessions, etc. My wealth is worthless compared to the value of his kingdom, in which love is the currency.