A Life Well Lived - April 2005

This week we are talking about how important it is for Christians to work to impact and change the world. God calls His people to be His hands and feet throughout the physical realm. To do that successfully we have to be impacting the lives of others with our life and actions.

So what is the value of a life well lived? We ask this question the week after Pope John Paul II died because people worldwide are discussing the impact of this pope. Now we are not going to get into an argument or discussion about Catholicism and the role of the pope, we are simply going to use Pope John Paul II, and his life, as a jumping off point for our topic this week.

During his papal reign, Pope John Paul II maintained the historic views of the Catholic church on moral issues, went to nations that no Pope had ever visited, helped bring about the end to the USSR as a communist nation, was against the death penalty and opposed most wars throughout the world. He fought for freedom of oppressed and enslaved persons, sought basic human rights for all, and worked to remind the blessed about their obligations to others. Regardless of your personal views on him, his faith, his views and his opinions, this pope impacted the world and those in it via his actions and reactions throughout his reign. He was able to do this due partially to his position / job. Mere position alone though does not guarantee positively impacting the world. There have been previous popes, and national political leaders throughout the world, that have had little to no impact on the world they lived in. In the end it is the individual that makes the difference, not the title.

Most of us will never be in an extremely powerful position that allows us to easily change the world like a pope, or a president, or even a corporate leader, etc, can. However, we can impact the world every day by our own actions. What we have to decide is if we are going to be an impactful person or not. There are people without title, position, and authority changing the world everyday throughout the world. All a title or position does is make the impacting work more visible, and gives other people a chance to grade your successes, your failures, your actions, your plans and your endeavors against their standard of success. Position may afford easier access, but it does not make the actual work any easier. The individual is the one that makes the difference in the end, and their personal dedication to their individual goals is what determines the amount of success they enjoy in the end.

Being impactful is a choice, and we can choose to live a life of success within our own world. An impactful life, i.e a life well lived, does not have to be reserved for the few that get worldwide, national, or even statewide or regional, attention. A life well lived is available to all that are willing to work for what they consider important. A person that desires to live a impactful life should not measure their success by how well known they are, but by the number of other people that have had their life changed or improved by their life and actions.

The easiest way to begin this process is by impacting those already in your life. You can impact your own children, your own family, your spouse, or maybe even a few kids within your neighborhood. From there you can begin impacting people at your church, on your ball team, at your work, at school, and everywhere else you go. Those are just some of the places and people you can impact by choosing to live an impactful life. Choosing to live a life well lived is about making a shift in your lifestyle, views, and actions where people are changed by meeting you. Each person’s life that you make better is sign of a life well lived.

The problem is that even if you choose not to live an impactful life, you are impacting the world anyway. You impact the world whether you like it or not. Some choose to have a positive impact, and work hard to achieve their goals. Many others choose to do nothing and at best leave the world exactly as they found - no better - no worse - no change - which in the end is having a impact because there was no improvement. Having no impact is just as much of an impact as working to change the world. Most of those that choose to do nothing though do not leave the world unchanged. Most that choose to do nothing leave the world a bit more degraded then when they entered it. So, due to their inaction they negatively impact the world. In addition to those two groups, those working to have a good impact and those doing nothing, there are also people that choose to actively work to have a negative impact on the world. They fight to destroy the good within society. They fight to tear down and degrade the progress made by others. We all probably know people in all three categories. The question though is which group you personally are in and which one you want to be in.

Christ talks about how His people are salt and light in the world in Matthew 5.

Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Being salt and light means being impactful. Salt irritates wounds, it prevents further degradation, it causes thirst, and it can even fertilize. In other words, it impacts and changes all that in encounters. Light is the same way. Light can hurt the eyes of those in the dark when it first appears, but it also gives guidance to the wondering, exposes things hidden by darkness, and it completely overcomes all the darkness within it’s realm, regardless of how vast that darkness is. In verse 16, Christians are directly commanded to show their light to those that they meet - regardless if the person is saved or lost.

Christ, and His followers, were about impacting the world for God. That same call has been extended to all that profess to be Christians today. Impact, influence, and positive change are the signs of a life well lived because they show that the person is/was concerned enough about the world, and the people in it, to do something to make the world better.

If you are saved, then you have a call on your life from God to positively impact the world. Your call to impact the world may be in a very visible role, or it may be in a small role that only impacts the twenty or thirty people within your direct sphere of influence, but you are called to impact and change the world. A life that accomplishes what it was called to do is a life well lived. The reward for such a life is clearly spelled out after a story about servant hood and the nature of good and bad servants in Matthew chapter 25, verse 23 -

Matthew 25:23 "His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

The reward for a life well lived, an impactful life, is reward and blessing from God. That is all that any servant of Christ can ask for. If you do not know what you are called to do begin the process today of finding out. Do this by praying and seeking God’s will for your life. If you already know your call, then decide today how you can live it out and begin living a life that is impactful, influential, and positive for all that you know and meet. If you are already doing that then be assured that God is with you, that He is blessing and moving, and that you will be greatly rewarded for your labor. God’s promises are true, His ways are perfect, and His actions are just, so begin today following His call and direction for your life.

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	This week we are talking about how important it is for Christians to work to impact and change the world. God calls His people to be His hands and feet throughout the physical realm. To do that successfully we have to be impacting the lives of others with our life and actions. So what is the value of a life well lived? We ask this question the week after Pope John Paul II died because people worldwide are discussing the impact of this pope. Now we are not going to get into an argument or discussion about Catholicism and the role of the pope, we are simply going to use Pope John Paul II, and his life, as a jumping off point for our topic this week. During his papal reign, Pope John Paul II maintained the historic views of the Catholic church on moral issues, went to nations that no Pope had ever visited, helped bring about the end to the USSR as a communist nation, was against the death penalty and opposed most wars throughout the world. He fought for freedom of oppressed and enslaved persons, sought basic human rights for all, and worked to remind the blessed about their obligations to others. Regardless of your personal views on him, his faith, his views and his opinions, this pope impacted the world and those in it via his actions and reactions throughout his reign. He was able to do this due partially to his position / job. Mere position alone though does not guarantee positively impacting the world. There have been previous popes, and national political leaders throughout the world, that have had little to no impact on the world they lived in. In the end it is the individual that makes the difference, not the title. Most of us will never be in an extremely powerful position that allows us to easily change the world like a pope, or a president, or even a corporate leader, etc, can. However, we can impact the world every day by our own actions. What we have to decide is if we are going to be an impactful person or not. There are people without title, position, and authority changing the world everyday throughout the world. All a title or position does is make the impacting work more visible, and gives other people a chance to grade your successes, your failures, your actions, your plans and your endeavors against their standard of success. Position may afford easier access, but it does not make the actual work any easier. The individual is the one that makes the difference in the end, and their personal dedication to their individual goals is what determines the amount of success they enjoy in the end. Being impactful is a choice, and we can choose to live a life of success within our own world. An impactful life, i.e a life well lived, does not have to be reserved for the few that get worldwide, national, or even statewide or regional, attention. A life well lived is available to all that are willing to work for what they consider important. A person that desires to live a impactful life should not measure their success by how well known they are, but by the number of other people that have had their life changed or improved by their life and actions. The easiest way to begin this process is by impacting those already in your life. You can impact your own children, your own family, your spouse, or maybe even a few kids within your neighborhood. From there you can begin impacting people at your church, on your ball team, at your work, at school, and everywhere else you go. Those are just some of the places and people you can impact by choosing to live an impactful life. Choosing to live a life well lived is about making a shift in your lifestyle, views, and actions where people are changed by meeting you. Each person’s life that you make better is sign of a life well lived. The problem is that even if you choose not to live an impactful life, you are impacting the world anyway. You impact the world whether you like it or not. Some choose to have a positive impact, and work hard to achieve their goals. Many others choose to do nothing and at best leave the world exactly as they found - no better - no worse - no change - which in the end is having a impact because there was no improvement. Having no impact is just as much of an impact as working to change the world. Most of those that choose to do nothing though do not leave the world unchanged. Most that choose to do nothing leave the world a bit more degraded then when they entered it. So, due to their inaction they negatively impact the world. In addition to those two groups, those working to have a good impact and those doing nothing, there are also people that choose to actively work to have a negative impact on the world. They fight to destroy the good within society. They fight to tear down and degrade the progress made by others. We all probably know people in all three categories. The question though is which group you personally are in and which one you want to be in. Christ talks about how His people are salt and light in the world in Matthew 5. Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Being salt and light means being impactful. Salt irritates wounds, it prevents further degradation, it causes thirst, and it can even fertilize. In other words, it impacts and changes all that in encounters. Light is the same way. Light can hurt the eyes of those in the dark when it first appears, but it also gives guidance to the wondering, exposes things hidden by darkness, and it completely overcomes all the darkness within it’s realm, regardless of how vast that darkness is. In verse 16, Christians are directly commanded to show their light to those that they meet - regardless if the person is saved or lost. Christ, and His followers, were about impacting the world for God. That same call has been extended to all that profess to be Christians today. Impact, influence, and positive change are the signs of a life well lived because they show that the person is/was concerned enough about the world, and the people in it, to do something to make the world better. If you are saved, then you have a call on your life from God to positively impact the world. Your call to impact the world may be in a very visible role, or it may be in a small role that only impacts the twenty or thirty people within your direct sphere of influence, but you are called to impact and change the world. A life that accomplishes what it was called to do is a life well lived. The reward for such a life is clearly spelled out after a story about servant hood and the nature of good and bad servants in Matthew chapter 25, verse 23 - Matthew 25:23 "His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' The reward for a life well lived, an impactful life, is reward and blessing from God. That is all that any servant of Christ can ask for. If you do not know what you are called to do begin the process today of finding out. Do this by praying and seeking God’s will for your life. If you already know your call, then decide today how you can live it out and begin living a life that is impactful, influential, and positive for all that you know and meet. If you are already doing that then be assured that God is with you, that He is blessing and moving, and that you will be greatly rewarded for your labor. God’s promises are true, His ways are perfect, and His actions are just, so begin today following His call and direction for your life.