How to Not Waste Your Life

Being successful in this world isn't wrong; it depends on who you live for. God or yourself. Here is how not to waste your life while living here on earth.  #Biblestudy #Psalms #WomensBibleStudy #GoodMorningGirls

Imagine if your husband showed up with roses and you asked him what the occasion was and he said, “I read a book that said –this is what good husbands do.”

Would you feel loved or would you feel like he was just doing his duty, to check off a list to be a “good” husband?

Now change the scenario.  What if he showed up with roses and you said, “what is the occasion?” and he said, “I just love seeing you happy and seeing you happy, makes me happy.”

Now, would you feel loved?  Yes – yes you would!

It is the same way with God.

When we show up to worship in church — do we do it out of duty, to check off a list to be a “good” christian or are we showing up because we want a genuine relationship with God?

Jesus said in Matthew 22:36-40, the greatest commandment is that we love God with all of our heart, soul and mind.

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Is there something or someone who competes with God for your love?

If we put the stuff of this world over God, when we are one day in the grave – we will regret it.  Everything we put before God from this world, ends at the grave. We can’t take our money, success, clothes, house, boat, degree or anything else from this world, with us into eternity.

Everything from this world – dies with us.

Your soul lives on after the grave – into eternity.

Is what you are living for eternal?

One day, after death, you will wake up in either heaven or hell – and if you wake up separated from God, you will realize you have wasted your life on things that were empty, when you could have lived your life for God.


And so that brings us to Psalm 115

It says:

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
    for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases.
(Psalm 115:1-3)

This Psalm starts with the phrase – “Not to us, O Lord, not to us.

I love when I watch award shows and the actress or athlete gives God the glory for their talent and success.  This repetition of “not to us” shows how easy it is for us to take the credit, glory and praise.

Being successful is not wrong but the difference between someone who lives for themselves or someone who lives for God is – who gets the glory.

God has given us each different gifts and talents and we must not love the good gifts God gives us –MORE– than the actual giver of the gifts.

If we want to glorify God, we need to avoid idolatry.

In our culture, we don’t see many people bowing down to statues BUT anything that competes with God, for our love, can become an idol.

Sometimes we crave something that is forbidden and it can take over our lives but other times it may be a good thing, that we just thoroughly enjoy, that takes our attention and time away from God.

Here’s what Psalm 115 says about idols.

Their idols are silver and gold,
    the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak;
    eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear;
    noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel;
    feet, but do not walk;
    and they do not make a sound in their throat.
Those who make them become like them;
    so do all who trust in them.
(Psalm 115:4-8)

The Psalmist talks about the top of the line idols in that day – which were not wooden – but silver and gold.  He says they had no life in them.  They did not have mouths and could not speak. They could not give truth.  They could not see, so they could not see their circumstances and be a comfort to them.  They could not hear, so they could not pray to them.

They could not even walk!  They had to be carried around by their worshippers!

What kind of God is that?

Weak.

Idols have NO power.

But our God speaks, hears and is the giver of truth, giver of life and is powerful.

There is no God like our God.

And so that brings us to Psalm 115:9-11:

O Israel, trust in the Lord!
    He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
    He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
    He is their help and their shield.

Because our God is real and alive – we can trust in Him!  He is our helper and our shield.

In our culture, where we can be strong and independent, we can ruin our trust in God. It’s tempting to not feel like we need God’s help. And when we stop trusting in God, we tend to take control of our own lives…

but be careful…

this leads to idolatry…

which leads to doing life based on our feelings rather than what God tells us to do in his word.

God wants us to enjoy life!

The temptation is that we turn enjoyable and good things in our lives, into little gods and over time we give all of our love and attention and time and energy to good things, rather than keeping God first in our lives.

So here’s the key to enjoying good things without them turning into idols…

Live with a heart of gratitude and thankfulness toward God, for the good things he has given you.

Every good and enjoyable thing we have in life has come as a gift from God and these good things are not the point of life!  God has a greater purpose for you, than to just live life craving after the things of this world.

We were made to worship God and to live with him for all of eternity.  And so that relationship starts now – here on earth.

Don’t waste your life on things that will end at your grave, instead put all of your trust in God.  He loves you!

Keep Walking with the King,

13 Comments

  1. This struck a chord with me — “We were made to worship God and to live with him for all of eternity. And so that relationship starts now – here on earth.”

  2. It is always good to hear this message over and over!! As I’ve gotten older you come to a realization a time in your that less is more. And of more God the better I am. ✝️❤️

  3. Thank you for this blessing! I am reminded to live for God and to trust in Him! God gets the Glory for all He has done in my life.

  4. Amen. We need to keep turning over the control to God. Let Him hold the reigns. Allow Him lead us and guide us.
    As women who take care of so much, it is so freeing to take ourselves out of our own keeping into His keeping, to entrust it all to Him.

  5. Thank you for this message .Indeed it reminds me that anything in this world that I do first without prayer and thanking God every morning is an Idol.. I’m ashamed for what I’ve done .Hope you could inspire more women like me.

  6. We may not physically bow down to things, but we do bow down. We bow down to drugs, alcohol, food, worry, shopping, etc every time we put it in the top position of our lives, our thinking, our energy. We struggle as much with idols now as they did when these words were written in the Bible. Our need for God has never changed.

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