by Dr. Paul Chappell

"For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God."

1 Corinthians 7:22-24

Life isn't all about you, but all about God.

Amy Carmichael, the devoted missionary to India, once wrote the following poem about her life:

My God, who has committed to my care
Thy ransomed one
Lest I be scattered here and there
and she be gone
Give me to hold me firmly to my trust
Let all that would distract me be as dust.
'Thy life for hers'-O solemn, urgent word-
Lest I forget,
My sense of values waver, or be blurred,
Or overset
By other things, take me and purge and bend
Each power and purpose to one single end.
Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth Thee
O Lord, my God
Give clearness, lest some by-way tangle me.
Where Christ hath trod
There would I tred, nor ever turn aside,
Lest she be missing for whom Christ hath died.

Amy Carmichael realized that her life was a precious gift from God, a gift that had been purchased with the highest form of payment-the blood of Jesus Christ. Hers wasn't to spend her life on her own pursuits or strive for ungodly things. Hers was to properly steward the life given her by giving it back to God.

Sometimes we lose perspective on life. We become wrapped up in our own pursuits, that we forget that our lives are not our own. The body you call yours is actually God's, and the talents, abilities, desires, dreams, goals, and pursuits that come along with your life come from God. He created you to do His will and to follow His path.

Being gracious, God has given you a free will. He allows you to choose to either serve Him or serve yourself. He allows His children to serve their own selfish desires, but He promises that those who serve Him will live fuller, more joyous lives.

First Corinthians 7:23 is a well-known verse, but consider its words carefully, "Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men." Christ gave His life so you could live in freedom today. He loved you enough that He paid for salvation by dying on the Cross.

You weren't bought by Christ's blood so you could live for yourself. How selfish would it be for a person saved by a doctor's miraculous surgery to disregard the doctor's advisement and live recklessly. Yet every day we do the same thing. We forget our life's purpose and live for our own fulfillment.

God has bought you with a price. Never get over the fact that Jesus died in your place, to save your soul, and to free you from sin. When you reacquire the proper perspective of life, you'll realize that life isn't all about you, but all about God. Live to honor and glorify Him today.

To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org, paulchappell.com, or follow him on twitter.

Daily Bible Reading
Psalms 123-125 | 1 Corinthians 10:1-18