What Makes Your Life Worth Something?
OPENING PRAYER:
Father, quiet the noise around me and help me hear what You're saying about the assignment You've given my life. Open my heart to see beyond my own comfort and plans, and show me the work You've prepared for me to complete.
"But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned to me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the good news about the wonderful grace of God."
Paul spoke these words to the Ephesian elders during what he knew would be his final visit with them. After years of pouring his life into these leaders, he was saying goodbye, and he wanted them to understand what had driven every decision he'd made. This wasn't just a nice sentiment—it was the defining conviction of his entire ministry.
REFLECT:
Pastor Todd Carter opened this message by pointing to this verse as foundational to everything that would follow—the 10-year vision, the leadership transition, the micro-campus expansion. But before any of that, he wanted us to wrestle with Paul's radical statement: that his life was worth nothing unless he used it to complete his assignment from Jesus.
That's an unsettling statement if we're honest. We spend most of our lives trying to make our lives worth something—through career success, financial security, relationships, reputation. But Paul flips all of that upside down. He's saying that the only thing that gives his life value is whether he's doing what Jesus specifically assigned him to do. Not just doing good things. Not just staying busy with religious activity. But completing the specific work God called him to: telling others the good news about grace.
Todd then asked the question that should haunt us in the best possible way: "What's your personal assignment?" Not the church's assignment—yours. What has God placed in your heart that you haven't fully stepped into yet? Maybe it's that conversation you keep avoiding with someone who needs Jesus. Maybe it's serving in a way that feels risky or uncomfortable. Maybe it's a financial surrender that requires real faith. The point is, God has an assignment for your life, just like He had one for Paul's. And Acts 20:24 isn't just for pastors or missionaries—it's for every single person who calls Jesus Lord. The question is whether we'll spend our lives on what makes us comfortable or on what makes our lives actually count.
APPLY:
Set aside 20 minutes of uninterrupted time to ask God this question: "What specific work have You assigned to my life that I'm not yet fully living into?" Write down what comes to mind, even if it feels incomplete or unclear. Then identify one concrete action you can take this week to move toward it—send a text, make a phone call, sign up to serve, set up a recurring gift. Make it specific and time-bound.
I WILL STATEMENT:
I will identify one specific assignment God has placed on my heart and take one concrete step toward it this week.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Jesus, forgive me for the times I've measured my life's worth by the world's standards instead of by Your assignment. Help me to live with Paul's conviction—that my life is worth nothing unless I'm doing what You've called me to do. Give me courage to take the first step, and faith to believe You'll meet me there. Amen.
PRAYER REQUEST:
Share your prayer request and pray for others.