Real Hope: Living A Life Of PurposeSample

ULTIMATE PRIORITY

At the end of the day, when our last breath is taken, we are left with nothing. We can’t take our educational degrees, our photo albums, our awards, our sporting trophies. What is left is a lot of stuff for others to sort through and disperse.

I did this a few years ago, along with others in my family, as we packed up the home my parents had lived in for 53 years of their marriage. And I know that in the future my children will have to do it for me.

Paul recognises the transient nature of life’s achievements. He lists his credentials in the preceding verses but then says… ‘whatever were gains for me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ’. He knows he has found something altogether superior as his life’s purpose… and indeed says ‘for whose sake I have lost all things’. His life’s values were completely transformed.

So how is our allegiance to Christ shaping our life? What do we value and give our greatest loyalty to? There are so many competing claims that are worthy. Family, career, exercise, friendship to name just a few. All of them good. But none of them ultimate.

Having Christ as our ultimate purpose will mean losing some things that in themselves are worthwhile but need to be kept in perspective. Taking stock of our priorities regularly helps keep the clutter from overwhelming us. It takes prayer and discernment to keep our purpose clear and our lives transparently focused.

written by TIM COSTELLO