Acts 7:54-60
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.
“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.