It’s significance in life that makes a
lasting impact.
How do you live a significant life? The kind of significant life that God wants
us to live? Peter, at the end of the
book I Peter, in a few short verses sort of gleans a lot of what he learned of
how to live the significant life from Jesus Christ. He says, here's what I learned from Him about
significance that can happen in your life.
At the end of His life, Jesus Christ was able to say,
in John 17, a prayer the night before He died on the cross, He prayed, "Having finished the work that you gave
Me to do, I brought you glory on the earth." Even when He was on the cross with His last
dying breath, Christ was able to say, "It's
done. It's complete."
Wouldn't you like to be able to end your life that
way? With a real sense of I finished it,
it's complete? Peter shows us some
things about Jesus Christ. He saw how
Jesus Christ lived significantly in His relationships with other people. He shares with us some of the ways you and I
can learn from Him.
Significant living happens when you……
Start Serving. Matthew
23:11 (NIV) The greatest among you will be your servant.
That's simple isn't it? Simple clear, to the point. If I'm going to be the greatest, I have to be
a servant. If you really want to have a
significant life one of the questions you have to ask yourself is this,
"Where can my life have the most impact?
How can I best use my time?"
Jesus said to be the greatest, be a servant.
Servants choose
desire over duty. 1 Peter 5:2a (NIV), serve as overseers--not because
you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be;
Duty doesn't work to impact other people, but desire
does, and a willingness does. If we want
to have a significant impact on people we have to change all those
"shoulds" we have in our lives into "wants". Four words that never will change the
world: "if I have to". It takes desire to change the world. Can you imagine Columbus talking to the Queen
of Spain who's saying "I want you to go to the other side of the world and
find this new country or a way to China
How do you change "shoulds" into
"wants"? How do you change
those duties in your life into desires?
You can begin to want to love your kids again or want to love your wife
again. You can begin to want to serve
God again. That can happen. How do you do it?
Pray, "God, I'm willing to be made
willing." This makes God your
partner. All of a sudden you're not in
it alone. You're asking for His help to
change your heart. You can't change your
heart by yourself anyway. Whatever
you're struggling with, look to God and say "I'm willing to be made
willing". Choose desire over duty.
Servants choose
giving over getting. I Peter 5:2b "Don't
be greedy for money, but be eager to serve." In other words "Don’t ask: `What can I get?' but rather
ask: `What can I give?'" Are we
more naturally interested in getting or giving?
Giving has power that we don't recognize sometimes. Getting sometimes seems like the answer. It can seem so important to us but Peter
reminds us here that you don't make a lasting impact by what you make. You make a lasting impact by what you give in
life.
We tend to equate having money with having influence.
Is having money the problem? No. You can use money to give to others. It's greed that's the problem. Don't be greedy for money. It's the unquenchable desire to get more
that's the problem. Greed keeps you from
being satisfied with what you have.
You're always reaching for more.
Money can be very deceiving. It
looks like you're making an impact when all you're doing is building a bank
account. Peter says instead of focusing on that, be eager to serve. Be chomping at the bit to make a difference
in other people's lives. Giving, through
serving, is where it's all about.
Servants choose to
be an example over being in control. 1 Peter 5:3 (TEV) Do not try to rule over those who have
been put in your care, but be examples to the flock.
Don't be like a ruler over people you're responsible
for, but be a good example to them. You
don't make a lasting impact by telling people what to do. You make a lasting impact by showing people
how to do it. Would you agree that the
world certainly doesn't need more people to tell us what we should do? It needs more people to show us how to do
it. You can say "Do as I say, not
as I do" as many times as you want.
But guess what they're going to do?
They are going to do as you do.
Our example is what has power.
Mahatma Gandhi the political and spiritual leader in India
Read: Psalm 145:1-21 & 1 Peter 5:1-7
