Christians and the broader culture agree with the declaration to “make the most of the time!” The Apostle Paul exhorted Christians to make the most of the time (Ephesians 5:15), and there are countless articles, blogs, and books written with advice to make the most of the time. We see constant reminders of the brevity and fragility of life, and there is general agreement to make the most of life. Though Christians agree with the culture about the short duration of life, our views our different on how we respond.
The culture says you are the owner of your time, your gifts, and your resources. Christians believe that God is the owner and we are stewards—that God owns all resources, positions, time, and abilities and gives them to humanity as good and gracious gifts. We steward for a brief season, but He is the owner.
The culture says you must achieve meaning in your life. It is on you to add meaning and significance to your work, your relationships, and even your existence. It’s a lot of pressure to get that right! Christians believe that Christ invites us to receive meaning from Him. If we surrender to Jesus, He is the One who gives us meaning and worth. He redeems even the smallest details of our lives for our good.
The culture says make the most of your life because you only live once (YOLO). Christians believe we should make the most of our lives because we live forever and being faithful with what He entrusts to us matters for eternity. We receive eternal life based on His grace and that includes Heaven when we leave this world. Heaven is not going to be sitting in a diaper on a cloud with a harp. We are going to have responsibilities in Heaven—responsibilities we enjoy. Jesus taught multiple parables (Matthew 25, Luke 19) declaring that what we steward forever will be based on our stewardship now. In everlasting life what we will manage is directly related to our faithfulness here. How we steward here will impact what we steward there.
Make the most of life! Yes. But for the Christian this means not living as an owner but living as a grateful and faithful steward. Not living with the pressure to bring meaning but receiving meaning from the One who gave Himself for us. And not thinking we only live once but remembering that we will enjoy Christ forever. Those beliefs don’t make us less helpful and effective in this world, but more so. C.S. Lewis wrote:
“If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this world.”
