Charles Stanley (December-14-2024) Daily Devotional: Ending Well.
Life is a gift—ask God to help you spend your time on what matters.
Luke 12:15-21 - Then He said to them, ``Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." And He told them a parable, saying, ``The land of a rich man was very productive. ``And he began reasoning to himself, saying, `What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' ``Then he said, `This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. `And I will say to my soul, ``Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' ``But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' ``So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
Today’s passage is about a rich man who made poor use of his days. Assuming a lot of time remained, he left the Lord out of his plans and let materialism guide him.
Paul, on the other hand, knew life was short and made the most of it. He gave to others until his final days. His letters from prison illustrate this—despite knowing he would soon face death, Paul devoted his time and energy to instructing fellow believers and praying for them. He recognized the value of time spent encouraging Christians to do everything as if for the Lord (Colossians 3:23 - Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men). This is important even when our task seems unrelated to the church. Kingdom work isn’t just for missionaries and pastors; God calls us all to different fields and assignments.
The apostle also knew that the Christian life encompasses struggles. And he was realistic about his own imperfections (Romans 7:5-25). This meant that to make the best use of his time, he needed to persevere, keep faith in God’s promises, and rely on divine power for victory. And indeed, at the end of his life, Paul was able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7 - I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith).
Life is a gift. Every one of us has a limited number of days on this earth. How will you utilize your time so you can look back and, with Paul, confidently say that you ended well?
Bible in One Year: 1 Timothy 4-6
