Living a Life of Significance
“You and I live an age when only a rare minority of individuals desire to spend their lives in pursuit of objectives which are bigger than they are. In our age, for most people, when they die it will be as though they never lived.” - Russell Russenbach (Give Yourself Away)
MARK 4:1-9 NKJV
“And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching: ‘Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.’ And He said to them, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear!’”
MARK 4:13-20 NKJV
“And He said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.’”
LIVING A LIFE OF SIGNIFICANCE
SUCCESS asks: “How can I add value to myself?”
SIGNIFICANCE asks: “How can I add value to OTHERS?”
If I pursue SUCCESS, my joy is the result of my success.
If I pursue SIGNIFICANCE, my joy is the result of other’s success!
SUCCESS can last a LIFETIME.
SIGNIFICANCE will last several LIFETIMES.
Evolution from SELFISHNESS TO SIGNIFICANCE:
What can OTHERS do for ME?
What can I DO for MYSELF?
What can I do for OTHERS?
What can I do with OTHERS for OTHERS?
The key to living a life of significance is you have to have a VALUE TRANSFORMATION
The PROCESS OF A VALUE TRANSFORMATION
1. YOU BEGIN TO VIEW YOUR LIFE AS NOT YOUR OWN
HEBREWS 10:24-25 NKJV
“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
LUKE 14:25-27; 33 TPT
“As massive crowds followed Jesus, he turned to them and said, “When you follow me as my disciple, you must put aside your father, your mother, your wife, your sisters, your brothers; it will even seem as though you hate your own life. This is the price you’ll pay to be considered one of my followers. Anyone who comes to me must be willing to share my cross and experience it as his own, or he cannot be considered to be my disciple.
(v.33) Likewise, unless you surrender all to me, giving up all you possess, you cannot be one of my disciples.”
“How much of my life is fully surrendered to God’s will over my own?”
The PROCESS OF A VALUE TRANSFORMATION
1. YOU BEGIN TO VIEW YOUR LIFE AS NOT YOUR OWN
2. YOU BEGIN TO INVEST YOUR LIFE IN THINGS THAT HAVE ETERNAL VALUE
1 CORINTHIANS 3:12-15 NLT
“Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.”
“How much of my life is making an ETERNAL DIFFERENCE?”
The PROCESS OF A VALUE TRANSFORMATION
1. YOU BEGIN TO VIEW YOUR LIFE AS NOT YOUR OWN
2. YOU BEGIN TO INVEST YOUR LIFE IN THINGS THAT HAVE ETERNAL VALUE
3. YOU BEGIN TO VALUE LOVING PEOPLE MORE THAN LOVING YOURSELF
PHILIPPIANS 2:3-4 NIV
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
“How much of my life am I living for OTHERS?”
The PROCESS OF A VALUE TRANSFORMATION
1. YOU BEGIN TO VIEW YOUR LIFE AS NOT YOUR OWN
2. YOU BEGIN TO INVEST YOUR LIFE IN THINGS THAT HAVE ETERNAL VALUE
3. YOU BEGIN TO VALUE LOVING PEOPLE MORE THAN LOVING YOURSELF
4. YOU SHIFT FROM “HOW MUCH CAN I ACQUIRE,” to “HOW MUCH CAN I GIVE AWAY?”
“If a person's scale of values is based primarily on material wealth, that person will be in difficulty all of his or her life. Do not pay much attention to fame, power and money. Some day you will meet a person who cares for none of these, and then you will know how poor you are.” – Rudyard Kipling
MATTHEW 6:19-21 NIV
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
TITHE: Demonstrates how much I TRUST GOD
OFFERING: Demonstrates how much I LOVE GOD
MATTHEW 6:24 NIV
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
“How much of my life is dedicated to giving everything away?”
Maybe you made a decision to follow Jesus today, or maybe you’re curious what life with Him is all about. Wherever you are on your journey, we invite you to share with us so we can help you discover your next step.
