Your life won’t be wasted in eternity. But that doesn’t stop Satan from trying to get you to waste the life you’re living now on earth. He wants you to fail and fall short of your potential in God. Jesus never intended believers to perish in any dimension of the word—in this life or in the one to come. If Jesus said whoever believes in Him should not perish, why then do we see so many Christians perishing in this life by squandering their earthly time and talents?
We must understand that the word believe means much more than a one-time reach to God in a desperate moment. The word believe implies a continual process of reaching out to God in faith and obedience, not only to avoid eternal destruction in hell, but also to avoid wasting our lives on earth by experiencing God’s purpose now.
I want to do the extravagant thing for God. Out of love and gratitude, I want to do that which is not required. I want Him to reap His full inheritance from my life. How tragic, how grievous, how totally unnecessary to be wasted in this age through carelessness, passivity, and desire for other things.
[WHY THIS WASTE?]
A woman whom I consider to have been one of the greatest saints in the New Testament was condemned for being "wasteful." The devotion she displayed for Jesus has strengthened my own resolve many times.
John 12:1-9 and Mark 14:3-9 describes her “moment” in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper. Jesus, Lazarus, and the others were reclining at the table, and Martha was serving. That very day Jesus had told his disciples that after two days, the Passover would be coming, and He would be delivered up for crucifixion (Matt. 26:2), yet his words seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Everyone was sitting around eating, drinking and chatting merrily. Hadn’t anyone heard what Jesus had said? Hadn’t anyone understood?
From what happened next, it appears that one had. Without warning, Mary appeared, clutching an alabaster vial containing a costly perfume—a pound of pure nard worth three hundred denarii, a year’s wages. Before anyone could stop her, Mary, following a Jewish custom where wealthy people anointed the bodies of their loved ones with costly oil before burial, broke the vial and began pouring its precious contents over Christ’s head and anointing his feet. The next moment she was on her knees before him, wiping his feet with her hair as the perfume’s fragrance filled the entire house.
Today, many Christians don’t even recognize all the names of Christ’s 12 apostles who were present and probably scolding her on that occasion. But we’re still hearing sermons about Mary of Bethany and her act of devotion. Just as Jesus said, "wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her" (Mark 14:9).
Both Mary and Martha ministered to Jesus that day. Going to great lengths to prepare a banquet worthy of the master. Martha served her Lord a natural feast. Mary prepared Jesus a spiritual feast, something He could enjoy and feast on just two days before He endured the worst hours in his entire existence—from eternity past to eternity future. Mary gave Jesus something from her heart that He could carry with Him to the cross.
[GIVING WITHOUT REGARD TO COST]
There are no rules that say we all have to empty our bank accounts, close the doors of our businesses, and take the next plane to Africa. Never make the mistake of thinking Jesus demands extravagance. He requires only the simple giving of our hearts in love and obedience, the taking up of our own crosses and following Him.
[WASTING OUR LIVES ON JESUS]
Jesus Christ loves the world and He loves the church, but there’s a special bread He feeds those who love Him in private. There’s a divine manna He reserves for those who extravagantly waste themselves in His presence.
None of us has an option when it comes to whether or not our lives will be wasted. The only option we have is how we will waste them. All of us will waste our lives either in sin and compromise, passivity and the cares of this life, or we will waste them on Jesus. We can waste our lives on serving the devil and end up in a flaming trash heap called hell, or we can waste our lives and our resources on Jesus as Mary did, laying up treasure in heaven where moths and rust won’t corrupt it and thieves can’t break through and steal it.
How do you waste your life on Jesus? Easy. It’s no secret. Make the decision in your mind, and your heart will catch up. Get in his presence. Reject sin. Cry out to Him in prayer. Lift your soul to Him in worship. Read and meditate on the Word until your heart is filled with the things that fill God’s heart. Utterly abandon yourself to Him. Intimacy with God takes time, and there is no substitute for waiting in His presence. Like Mary, choose to forego some of the less important things going on around you in order to make more time to cultivate a relationship with him. Lavishly, extravagantly pour out your life as a drink offering upon the holy altar of God. Allow yourself to be broken and spilled out for the priceless One whose body was broken and whose precious life’s blood was spilled out for you.
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