Living the Worthwhile Life

A young English pianist gave his inaugural concert to a full house in a London hall. His music was brilliant, and when he finished, the crowd gave him a long standing ovation. Young and shy, he retreated backstage. The stage manager urged him to return for a bow and an encore, but the young pianist refused. The manager insisted.

“The entire audience is standing and clapping for you,” he said, insisting that the pianist return to the stage.

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“Not everyone is standing,” the young musician replied. “There is a gray-haired man in the balcony who remains seated.” The manager peeked out.

“You’re right,” he said. “But everyone else is standing. He makes no difference. Don’t worry about him. Just go back out there.”

The young pianist replied, “He is my teacher.” We don’t live for everyone else’s approval. Living a worthwhile life means that we live for God’s approval.

Here are some keys to living a worthwhile life, taken from the life of Stephen.

I. Know what is worth dying for, then live for it.

What are you willing to die for?

When is the last time you thought about the answer to that question? Until you know what you are willing to die for you’ll never know what you should be living for. A lot of times when we think about martyrs like Stephen we just focus on the fact that they died for their faith.

Stephen just didn’t die for his faith, he lived for it. Twice he is described as being “full of the Holy Spirit.” When it came time for the apostles to choose helpers in the early church, Stephen was on the top of the list. He taught the people, performed miracles, and served the church. He found something worth dying for (Jesus), then he lived for it.

Are you willing to die right now for what you have been living for this past week? Probably not. I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to die for a job, or nice clothes, or a nice car. I am willing to die for the gospel. Living for the gospel makes my life worth living.