Are you wasting your life in one of these ways?

Do you ever feel like you're wasting your life?

If you're concerned about how you use your days and years, you're not alone. God cares, too.

We see this through a number of stories Jesus told, and they mean something for us today.

• Jesus expects us to do something with our life. He told a story about a master who gives his servants bags of gold. When the master returns from a long journey, he expects them to have done something with their gold (Matthew 25:14-30).
• The way we spend our time and money matters. Jesus told a story about a rich man who decides to stop working, set aside his money, live a greedy and easy life. That very night the rich man dies and has to answer to God (Luke 12:13-21).
• Live with a sense of urgency. Jesus told His disciples to be ready for His return like servants waiting for the return of their master in the middle of the night: awake, expectant and making the most of every opportunity (Luke 12:35-40).

Why would God go to such great lengths to warn us about how we spend our time? Because if we spend our days focusing on our own plan, we will arrive at the end of our life miserable, broken, and followed by a trail of broken relationships. No amount of money can fix that.

God has greater plans in store for us than we could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Once we understand life is short and Jesus really cares how we live, it changes everything.

Don't Waste These 3 Areas of Your Life

1. Time

The way we spend our time today determines what our life looks like tomorrow. What if we filtered every decision through the lens of loving God and loving others (Matthew 22:36-40)? When we make decisions about how to spend our time, we are making decisions about what we find valuable.

We are all given the same amount of time per day. Will we use our time to bring us closer to Jesus or further away? Will we look for opportunities to serve others or make it all about us?

The way we spend our time today determines what our life looks like tomorrow.

2. Money

It's all His. God owns everything, including the money in our wallets. All things are from Him and for Him. So, how are you handling God’s money?

When we know time is short and we can’t take anything with us, we will feel the freedom to be a lot more generous. Generosity leads to joy. Selfish people never have enough money, and generous people never run out (2 Corinthians 9:6).

3. Relationships

Jesus set the standard on how we should treat others (Philippians 2:3-8). If we follow His example, it changes the way we treat those around us. We can be quicker to forgive, more patient, and more humble.

The bottom line is this: when we realize that life is short and God wants the best for us, it completely changes the way we live. Don’t waste what little time you have by focusing on yourself. God created you for so much more than that. God created you to live a life of joy, focusing on loving Him and loving others. Live radically. Live like life is short.