DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE
Life is too precious to waste!
Gerry White

When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. [8] Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. [9] Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" [10] "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest!" [11] Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple.

Mark 11:7-11 (NIV)

God gave us life and determined the set value of his creation. It is His desire that all people join His family by receiving Christ. Therefore, Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem pronouncing His Kingship. Jesus said your life has value. Therefore,

"Life is too precious to waste". But how do you do that? How do you prevent wasting your life?

Be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do.

Ephesians 5:15-17

It says, "be careful how you live". Now the opposite of careful is what? careless. It says, don't be careless.

Literally in the Greek here it means "don't stumble through life; don't just drift through life".

  1. Think it through,
  2. Know what you're here for,
  3. Know your purpose
  4. Make the most of every opportunity,
  5. Be wise
  6. Try to understand what God wants you to do.

How many of you would say, you really would like to know what God wants you to do with your life?

Question #1: What does God want from my life?

  1. What does that mean?
  2. What does that take?
  3. What does that involve and why should I do it?

There is not a single verse in the Bible, not one, that says you can be a Christian and live your life any old way you want to.

God wants all of you.

  1. He doesn't want 10% of you,
  2. He doesn't want 50% of you,
  3. He doesn't want 99% of you - He wants all of you.

Give yourselves completely to God since you have been given new life. And use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God.

Romans 6:13

C.S. Lewis once said, "The only thing Christianity cannot be is moderately important".

If it's really true, then it deserves everything you've got. If it's not true, you shouldn't be here right now.

It's either all, or nothing.

There're still a lot of people trying to sit on the fence. Because they say, "Well, I don't know what God wants me to do".

This is what the Lord your God wants you to do: Respect the Lord and do what He has told you to do. Love Him. Serve the Lord your God with your whole being.

Deuteronomy 10:12

"Well, I'll serve God in my spare time".

It's like I have this pie -

  1. I have my social life,
  2. I have my career life,
  3. I have my sex life,
  4. I have my family life,
  5. I have my retirement life,
  6. I have my spiritual life - as if your spiritual life is one part of the pie. Wrong.

He wants the whole pie to be under His control. He doesn't want to be pigeonholed and you say, "You know God, I'll give you 10% of my life".

Now, there's a myth that says that you can do it all, you can have it all, but you can't. You have to give it all to God.

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:24

He doesn't say you "should not" serve God and money -
He says you "cannot" serve God and money.

He says it's impossible. What's He talking about?

He's saying it is impossible to have two number one priorities in your life. You're always going to have a No. 1, and everything else is going to be 2, 3, 4 and 5.

You can't have two number one priorities.

Now there are a lot of things besides money that can certainly push God out of First Place in your life.

  1. Work
  2. play
  3. sports
  4. hobbies
  5. friends
  6. school work
  7. dating
  8. even your own family can push God out of First Place in your life.

And He's saying you can't serve God and something else at the same time.

He said, "I want it all; I want to be totally in charge of your life".

So really the question here is "what's going to be First Place in you?"

  1. Is what's going to be the No. 1 goal in your life building your career?
  2. Is the No. 1 goal in your life raising your family?
  3. Is the No. 1 goal of your life going to be saving for retirement?
  4. Is the No. 1 goal of your life going to be maintaining your good health?

You see, all of those things are good. In fact, God created them.

And God approves of every one of those things, except in First Place.

God says, "You will have no other gods before me".

And whatever is in First Place in your life is your god.

And any time you have something in your life that's No. 1 that's not God, that's called an idol.

God says, "that's wrong".

He says, "I want to be No. 1 in your life before everything else, and I'll bring it all back into focus in the right way".

He says, "I'll put it altogether".

where are you saying to God, "me first"? You know, even Christians do this.

Where are you saying, God I'll live for you but ...let me first...

  1. Find somebody to marry.
  2. Finish my school.
  3. Get the kids out of the house.
  4. Achieve financial independence.
  5. Pay off my mortgage.
  6. Build my career.
  7. Finance my kid's college education.

What excuse do you keep giving to God for you putting yourself first?

  1. Lord, let me first do this, then I'll be sold out to you.
  2. Let me first do this, and then I'll be all yours.

Let me let you in on a little secret - if you would put God first in your life, He'll take care of everything else.

In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and, crown your efforts with success.

Proverbs 3:6

I don't know anybody who doesn't want to be a success. You want to be a success?

Have you been trying to live a part-time Christian life?

The first question of life is - what does God want? He wants all of you. And any time you sit on the fence, you lose.

Question #2: What does it take?

  1. What does it take to not waste my life?
  2. What does it take to become all that God wants me to be?
  3. What does it takes to develop myself to my fullest potential?

Well, I'm going to say it in one word.

  1. It's a word you're not going to like.
  2. It's a very unpopular word.
  3. We cringe when we hear this word.
  4. We really don't like this word.

But it's the word "discipline".

Whoever practices discipline, is on the way to life.

Proverbs 10:17

You cannot be a disciple without discipline. The two words go together - disciple and discipline. You can't be a disciple of Jesus without discipline.

Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.

1 Timothy 4:7

Discipline is delayed gratification.

Discipline is doing the difficult now, in order to enjoy the benefit later.

You know where you're disciplined? In the areas you want to be.

The things that are important to you, you get done.

What if you were:

  1. As disciplined in having a daily quiet time as you are in never missing a meal?
  2. As disciplined in serving others as you are in getting up and going to work everyday?
  3. As disciplined in attending church as you are in watching that favorite T.V. show that you never miss?

Another word for discipline - "habits".

Habits are, simply, disciplines and you are the sum total of your habits. Tell me what you do habitually, and I'll tell you what your character is.

  1. If you habitually tell the truth, you have integrity.
  2. If you are habitually faithful to your spouse, you are a faithful person.

It's what you do over and over and over without even thinking.

If it's a habit, it's a part of your life and your whole life is designed, shaped, controlled, developed by the habits.

And if you want to change your life, all you have to do is change your habits.

Spend your time and energy in the exercise of keeping spiritually fit.

1 Timothy 4:7 (Living Bible)

Keep spiritually fit. He says there are exercises you can do that will keep you spiritually fit, just like there are exercises you can do that will keep you physically fit.

Let me just mention two.

1. The discipline of letting go.

That means you let go of things because you can't keep adding things to your schedule without letting go of something else.

Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.

Hebrews 12:1

A weight can be all kinds of things:

  1. a relationship,
  2. an expectation,
  3. an activity,
  4. a club,
  5. a memory that you refuse to let go of,
  6. a fear,
  7. a job.

And if you're going to make space for God in your life, you're going to have to cut some stuff out.

Add three new habits to your schedule.

  1. A daily devotional reading of about 15 minutes a day, which will help you understand God's purposes of your life;
  2. A weekly meeting in a small group for six weeks that will help you understand God's purpose for your life; and
  3. A weekly verse to memorize that probably will take you about five minutes, which will help you understand God's purpose for your life.

So you need to ask, "What am I going to stop doing?"

Any time you take on

  1. a new habit,
  2. a new skill,
  3. a new commitment you should say, "What am I not going to do?"

2. Now, there's another discipline - Luke 10:40-42.

It talks about a couple of friends of Jesus, Mary and Martha, who are sisters. Jesus had come to visit at their home. And the Bible says, "Martha was distracted by her many tasks".

Do any of you identify with that phrase?

Martha was distracted by her many tasks. So, she came to Him (Jesus) and asked,

"Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me."

You see, Mary had gone and just sat at the feet of Jesus. But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you're worried and distracted by many things",

He said, "but there is a need of only one thing and Mary has chosen the better part".

What's He talking about? Jesus said, "If it comes down to spending time with me, or washing the dishes, there's no competition".

When it comes down to getting the house ready, fixing the meal, or spending time with me, cause "I'm here" Jesus said, there's no doubt what should happen.

  1. Do you find yourself like Martha?
  2. Do tasks on your to-do list distract you from focusing on God?
  3. Is your life so busy, you don't have time to stop, and focus on God?

You will live an average of 25,550 days. That's what the average person lives.

All our busy rushing, ends in nothing.

Psalms 39:6

Proverbs 10:27. You want to have more time, here's the secret - "reverence for the Lord adds hours to each day".

Put God first, and He says, "I'll bring everything else into focus".

God is always at work in you, to make you willing and able to obey His own purpose.

Philippians 2:13

"Not by might, not by power, but my Spirit says the Lord."

What am I saying?

If you get serious and you make the choice and say

"God, there are some things I will cut out of my life in order to make time to develop some new habits so that I might grow closer to you, and that you might have all of me, not just part of me, but all of me."

Question #3: Why should I do it?

  1. Why should I make the effort to grow spiritually?
  2. Why should I let go of some things to make time for God in my life?

There are:

  1. Benefits today in your life right now, and
  2. Benefits forever in eternity.

Even if there were no benefits at all, right here on earth - I can tell you the reason why you ought to do it in two words - the Cross.

Jesus gave His life completely for you and He expects your life in return.

He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

2 Corinthians 5:15

Brothers and sisters, in view of all we have just shared about God's compassion, I encourage you offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to Him.

Romans 12:1

Now listen, it cost Jesus to die for you and it's going to cost you to live for Him.

But He deserves it, because you would have no destiny if it weren't for the Cross. But because of the Cross, you will live forever and you owe Him your life.

We beg you, please don't squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us.

2 Corinthians 6:1

"Only one life will soon be passed, and only what's done for Christ will last." Nothing else is going to matter. You ever wanted to be a part of a miracle?

Prayer:

Father we already know that you're going to do some amazing things in our midst when we begin the 40 Days of Purpose.

  1. Lives are going to be changed,
  2. families are going to be saved,
  3. friendships are going to be made,
  4. miracles are going to happen.

Now, you pray. In your heart say, "God,

  1. I don't want to be a fence sitter anymore.
  2. I don't want to be a casual Christian, a part time believer, a lukewarm servant.
  3. I want to give you my whole life, every part of me.
  4. I need your help in developing the habits, the disciplines I need to grow spiritually.

So help me to let go of things that don't really matter, and put you first in my life. Help me to know what to cut out, so I have time for what's important. Thank you for giving your life for me. I want to be a part of what you're going to do here. In Jesus' name I pray, amen".