“And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” Matthew 10:38-39
Andrei Sakharov grew up in Russia during World War II. After the war, he completed his college education and became one of Russia’s premier nuclear physicists. He worked on such projects as the Soviet atomic bomb, the hydrogen bomb, and Russia’s megaton-range hydrogen bomb, with a design known as “Sakharov’s Third Idea.” Much of his career was spent advancing post-war Russia’s scientific defenses, earning him many prestigious awards. But in the 1970s, Sakharov’s view of his work changed. He realized the grave dangers that could be done by his advances and spoke out against the use of such dangerous weapons. His newfound work in social activism came with consequences, and for nearly five years he was exiled to a small apartment in Russia. It was during this time that Sakharov spent days hand-writing his memoirs with the help of his wife Elena. Adrei would write his memories, and Elena would type, edit, and organize his thoughts. Many times sections of his book would vanish, more than likely because of sudden government searches. On the day Elena was due home from a trip, Andrei met her at the train station, and through trembling lips and glassed-over eyes, muttered, “It’s gone. They took it all.” The government had searched the apartment, found all his writings, and had taken them. Although they were devastated, they began work again on the book, and this time Elena noted that Andrei’s memories seemed to be better than before.
For several years, Andrei lived his life to write his memoirs. He spent hours each day simply writing. Yet in one instance, his life’s work was gone. Everything he had done seemed to have been in vain. He must have felt that those years of his life had been wasted.
Have you ever worried that you would waste your life? Is what you are doing now truly meaningful, or are you simply biding time? No one wants to “lose” time by spending what little time we have on earth on meaningless pursuits. Yet many people are wasting their lives, and sadly, many of those people are Christians.— Christ tells us that spending a life pursuing fleshly desires and goals is equal to a life lost; but a life expended for Christ and His work is a life well spent.
So many people on earth get caught up in pursuing the “perfect life”-a good-sized house, an abundance of possessions, an accommodating job, and a comfortable lifestyle-that they forget about the most important things in life—-. Too many people are focused on the present without thinking of the future.
God promises you that living a life of dedication to Him is a life worth living. It may seem as if others are more blessed or enjoy more comforts, yet nothing can replace a life spent in service of the King. One day, when you stand before God and give an account for your life, you won’t wish you had more money, but that you had served God more.
Have you ever compared your life with the lives of others? Have you wondered if your service is making a difference? Don’t allow the pursuit of fleshly desires to overrun your life. Remember that God honors those who lose their life for His work, and blesses them with eternal riches.(By Dr. Paul Chappell)
