What Is Our Life?

“When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he promised, ‘I will come back if it is God’s will.’” Acts 18:20

Paul was at the top of his game and had earned the respect of the Jews at the synagogue in Ephesus. They wanted him to stay there and spend more time with them as they received his messages about Jesus Christ. It would have been extremely tempting for him to stay at a place where he was wanted, respected and admired, especially if he was accomplishing this in the name of Christ. Paul recognized that to remain for whatever reason would be going against the will of God. He was to leave and continue his missionary travels at God’s urging, not mans.

We can learn a lot regarding the obedience of Paul and his commitment to God’s will. Times in my past I have allowed myself to stick around and listen to people give me credit for something God was accomplishing through me. Sitting around enjoying the accolades of man is not what God has in mind for any of us. It is only through God that anything in our lives are accomplished.

James, the half-brother of Jesus, supports this obedience in attitude of committing everything to God’s will. “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there… Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15.

We have a brief time on earth and then we are wisped away with the importance on our lives being the impact we made for the Kingdom of God. The things we determined for our life will disappear and count for nothing in Heaven but the things determined by God will remain worthy of our calling.

What is our life, indeed?