Reflections on My Usefullness

Last week I was in Atlanta, GA for RUF staff training. It was a great time of fellowship, instruction, and a reminder about why and how we do ministry. On Monday night of training, Rod Mays, the coordinator of RUF gave the opening address in which he, at one point, spoke on Philippians 1:21 "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Our joy and passion in this life should be to live for Christ, and therefore death is a much greater joy because we finally get to be with and live with our object of desire... Christ himself.

Thinking about this passage, I remembered an excerpt from The Valley of Vision, and was able to track it down again. From the prayer entitled Covenant, the author prays, "Suffer not my life to extend beyond my usefulness."

The only reason to remain on this earth is to proclaim to sinners, Christ. All other things I will have and be able to do abundantly more and better in Heaven: to worship, work, play, fellowship, and glory in Christ. The only useful thing that I cannot do more perfectly in Glory is to lead a sinner before the throne of my gracious Savior. Therefore, life is only worth living here as long as I am still of value to reaching the lost with the gospel.

I am not saying that life is worthless unless I am leading someone to Christ or that it is without purpose, far from it. Rather, I am agreeing with Paul that to die is gain... there is greater joy and life and understanding of purpose when freed from sin, and that living here in this time and space should be a continual proclamation of that good news, that hope. I pray that God use me mightily in the service of that gospel, and take me home quickly when I have completed all that he has for me.

"I pray that you light these idle sticks of my life that I might burn for you. I ask not for a long life, but a full one, like you Lord Jesus." - Jim Eliot