Living for the Progress of the Gospel

A few years ago I knew a young man who was wandering through his life aimlessly. He had no real purpose in life, no goals and secretly he knew he had no future. Oh, he believed that there was a God but he didn’t know Him. He became more and more involved in sin, dabbling in this and that sinful activity. Rock–n-Roll became his purpose and meaning. Nothing illustrates this more than when he turned sixteen and purchased his first car his specialized tag read “LIV-2-ROC.” He lived to rock and roll. This was his god, his comfort, his meaning, his everything until he met Christ Jesus. Jesus cleansed him of his filthy life and sin. Jesus gave him purpose and meaning to his life. Jesus gave him eternal life. Jesus became his all. Now he lives to serve, serve His Master and Savior Jesus Christ!

Have you ever come to this crossroads in your life? For what do you live? What do you look to for comfort, joy, happiness, purpose, and meaning? What or who gets you out of bed each morning? What or who will save your soul from your sins and give eternal happiness?

In the passage before us this morning we are privileged to be permitted entrance by the Apostle Paul into his deepest heart, his greatest motivation, his reason for living and his cause for dying. As he faced this issue, contrary to most, he faced it with confidence because he trusts his future, not to anything or anyone other than God.