“25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
Matthew 16:25 (NKJV).
When we pursue self-preservation, we do not reach the greatest return on investment in an eternal sense. Furthermore, albeit counter-intuitively, when we serve God, we deny ourselves temporal pleasures for a lasting sense of purpose and satisfaction here on earth as well. Once we develop a taste for accomplishing the will of God, we will no longer find the same joy elsewhere. We will see our old pet sins and idols for the fruitless and time-consuming nature they inherently possess. We will never regret denying ourselves earthly pleasures for eternal blessings (Luke 9:23, Romans 8:18). If the sacrifices we make are for better positioning ourselves to glorify God, we will eventually see the byproduct of those decisions.
It is entirely in God’s hands what aspect of His blessings we will enjoy here on earth and which others manifest themselves in Heaven forever (Luke 18:29-30). I would venture to say frequently the things worth pursuing involve calculated risks. If the reward is immediate and there is little to no sacrifice involved, it typically indicates that such endeavors are not worthy of our time. Therefore, we need to condition ourselves to think long-term concerning our choices. Our daily activities should serve a greater purpose down the road.
Of course, there is a time and place to enjoy God’s blessing of rest and seize opportunities to appreciate leisure activity (Matthew 11:28). However, the more significant portion of our time should question each action based on its merit from an eternal vantage point. It takes discipline and sacrifice to write a book, edit it, find an agent, pursue a traditional publisher, and bring it to market. While this process doesn’t happen overnight, you will see your work come to fruition if you stick with it. If the book has content that will lead others to Jesus Christ or encourage existing believers to further their walk, there is more than enough motivation to fuel your efforts (Acts 20:24, Matthew 28:19-20). This journey can bring a writer great satisfaction and joy, but it is undoubtedly not something even the best authors can do in a short time frame.
One noteworthy thing to consider is that we find our area of giftedness that we can apply to serve God before we embark on the journey. You may see me write a book, but you won’t see me pursue a singing career as a Christian music artist. These are both creative outlets that have the potential to honor and bring glory to God, but they are different skill sets. I know that I am not a skilled vocalist. Sometimes, it takes some honest introspection to come to terms with this, especially when your dream involves something you’re not naturally adept at. On the flip side, a good work ethic has a lot to do with it, so we don’t want to get prematurely discouraged and dismiss our potential. There is a possibility that if you stick with something you love for long enough, in due time, the practice will differentiate you as a tremendous talent. With that said, it helps a great deal to have some natural aptitude at what you commit your time to do.
Over the years, I have realized some people excel at their craft but do not get the chance to share it on a large platform. Meanwhile, others who are arguably inferior in their ability do so on a massive scale (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Therefore, I take comfort in serving God, whether it is in relative obscurity or with a worldwide audience. While my reach may be small, our God is infinitely vast. As long as I put in my side of the effort, which His grace empowers, He may decide to exalt me in terms of developing a broader audience.
There’s no shame in reaching out to a small number of people with the Gospel. If all an entire lifetime of my writings did was lead one person to come to saving faith, it would be 100% worthwhile. God may even delight specifically in observing my motivations do not revolve around achieving fame or monetary compensation above serving my Creator. Another possibility is that He is preparing me for that in the future. There are times God may decide to shape our character, teach us lessons, or equip us through experiences before our exaltation occurs (Matthew 23:11-12).
The last thing we should want to do is risk finding fame or fortune and losing our intimate relationship with God in the process. How often have we heard of stories where believers were not ready for the challenges of the platform they obtained? In a nutshell, we must truly desire to make less of ourselves and more of God before making that kind of transition (John 3:30). Otherwise, we may be exposed to pride or lose our identity amid people making a bigger deal about us than they should. We know that all the talents, gifts, and resources are all God’s. If we lose sight of that and our humility, it may prove a lethal combination and destroy the credibility of our ministry efforts (Proverbs 16:18).
In the end, we should keep our eyes on Jesus Christ and eternity to determine the appropriate short-term and long-term goals. If we desire to reflect Him in what we do, it will display itself in the majority of our actions (John 13:13-15). For instance, it’s not a good enough reason to pursue a relationship or marriage solely because you think it might make you happy or fill a void. Instead, we should determine if we glorify God more together with that person than if we remain single. Ask yourself if the person shares your values and encourages you to draw closer to God or pulls you further away from Him (“The Surpassing Goal: Marriage Lived for the Glory of God” by John Piper).
Another example may involve making a transition to a new career. You might want to question whether there are any ethical dilemmas associated with your new job. Is there anything in your potential new role that requires you to violate your Christian convictions? Another consideration revolves around the opportunity cost of the shift. Will you have less free time to dedicate to serving and ministry efforts that are a critical part of your goals? If you make a modest salary at a job that affords you the possibility of sowing seeds of the Gospel, you might want to think twice before you change career paths solely based on a higher salary, for instance. There are so many variables to consider that we need to assess them on a case-by-case basis accordingly. As such, it is critical to pray and rely on the multitude of counselors that God may have graciously surrounded us with for their input when appropriate (Proverbs 11:14).
Instead of making hasty decisions based on our emotions or even sound logic, bringing it to God in prayer is always an advisable course of action (James 1:5). Who knows how much trouble you might avoid and eternally valuable seeds you might be able to sow by simply making one more good choice and avoiding a bad one. Moreover, if we set apart some time to contemplate everything with God before making decisions, it can alter the course of our entire lives and our ability to do good works for God in the future.
However, no matter how much we pray and prepare, we are imperfect, and eventually, specific issues require a leap of faith (“What is a leap of faith?” GotQuestions.org). May God help us all as we take that leap with a desire to invest our lives in the things that matter. Let our motivations revolve around our Maker instead of maximizing personal pleasure or earthly gain. If He sees that His glory is our inspiration, I am confident that He will not allow us to stumble permanently (Proverbs 24:16). Instead, he will rescue us from pitfalls and provide ways of escape from temptation to help us navigate a better future as we learn to lean on Him perpetually (1 Corinthians 10:13).
