But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. Acts 20:24 NLT
Paul has been a disciple for a long time now. He has experienced much suffering – imprisonment, rejection, persecution, exhaustion, and constant danger. Yet he speaks from a deep well of purpose and satisfaction. His life does not find its value in comfort, success, recognition, or self-preservation, but in fulfilling the mission Jesus gave him. For Paul, making disciples was not one of many things he enjoyed; it was the reason his life mattered. It was what made his life worth living.
Paul’s powerful perspective is also deeply freeing for us. Many of us spend our lives trying to figure out and pursue the things we hope will make life matter meaningfully. But Paul discovered the deepest meaning comes from investing your life in something that will outlast your life here – something eternal. To make disciples, to help people know Jesus, grow in faith, and become transformed by Him is work that outlasts careers, possessions, and even our own lifetime. Making disciples gives life purpose because it aligns us with the heart of Christ. He devoted Himself to shaping people who would effectively carry His love into the world, eventually to us.
To this very day, when believers actively follow Jesus and invest in others by encouraging, teaching, praying, mentoring, serving, and walking with people through struggle, they truly participate in the ongoing work of the Kingdom of God. I can’t think of anything that can match the deep joy of helping someone begin to truly follow Jesus and develop real life in Him.
Paul also understood that being a disciple who makes disciples requires surrender. A life centered only on self-protection and self-fulfillment eventually becomes small and empty. But a life invested in God and others becomes full of meaning, even when it is challenging. In King Jesus’ Kingdom, purpose and worth are not found in what we accumulate, but in what we give away.
- What am I spending my life on that will still matter in one hundred years? And who is becoming more like Jesus because I walked with them?