Is there a warning in the Bible that we shouldn’t squander our lives?
Though the phrase “Do not waste your life” does not appear anywhere in the Bible, the idea of not squandering our time is pervasive throughout the scriptures.
Learn from God’s perspective what constitutes a fulfilled existence.
God may have a different perspective of what constitutes a life well lived than we do.
In Jesus’ parable, the rich man did not see himself as wasting his life by amassing wealth for himself, but God revealed him to be a fool at the end of his life (Luke 12:16–21).
In Deuteronomy 6:5, God gives His people a definite order on how they should live.
In this passage, Moses articulates God’s expectations of His people: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
So, what is it that God expects of you?
When asked which commandment was paramount, Jesus said, “The most important one is to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (Mark 12:29–31). “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is a single entity.”
There is no higher commandment than to love the Lord your God with everything you have (your heart, your mind, your strength, and your soul), and to love your neighbor as yourself (the second greatest).
Therefore, if we value our lives, we will make it our highest priority to love God with all that we are.
This selfless love for others flows naturally from our devotion to God.
It is our duty to “fear God and observe his laws” (Ecclesiastes 12:13) and to give God the praise and thanks he deserves in whatever we do (1 Corinthians 6:20; 10:31).
Life lived in disobedience and self-centeredness is a life poorly lived.
Jesus posed the profound query, “What good is it for someone to obtain the whole world and yet lose or forfeit themselves?” (Luke 9:25).
Success in this world can bring a person many things, including recognition, wealth, power, and celebrity.
But that achievement will be for naught if it is not done to God’s glory and out of a heart of love for God and neighbor.
It’s possible that a well-known and gifted person isn’t as successful in God’s eyes as an unassuming person who works a basic job out of love for God.
If we value our lives, we will seek God’s will and conduct our work out of gratitude and appreciation for God and a desire to bless and love others.
Charles Dickens, in his classic novella A Christmas Carol, presents Joseph Marley as a man who has terribly wasted his life.
In the beginning of the story, Marley comes as a ghost shackled by a heavy steel chain, sentenced to a life of suffering.
The spirit feels remorse for his life but realizes it’s too late to do something about it: “No space of regret can make apologies for one life’s potential misused!”
, he screams.
Marley clenches his fists and exclaims, “Business!” when reminded of his previous success in the business and financial realms.
I was in the people business.
Charity, mercy, tolerance, and benevolence — these were all things I focused on because they contributed to the general good.
In comparison to the vastness of my enterprise, the transactions of my trade were like a mere trickle.
” (from Stave One).
Marley’s warning to Scrooge is one factor in his decision to rethink his life and quit focusing on material gain at the expense of happiness.
Not wasting our lives requires that we become followers of Christ.
To be saved, we must approach Christ with faith in what He has done for us through His death and resurrection.
A life lived apart from God is meaningless since pleasing God is impossible without faith (Hebrews 11:6).
To put it another way, we need to accept the paradoxical truth that “whoever strives to maintain their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it” (Luke 17:33).
It’s impossible to waste a life lived for Christ.
Living for God’s glory and seeking to love Him and others brings us closer to the day when we will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
” (Matthew 25:21).
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