“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”
Acts 20:24 (NLT)
Paul was not walking toward Jerusalem because the road looked safe. Holy Spirit had already told him jail and suffering were ahead, but Paul did not let the warning make him sit still. His life was not measured by comfort, approval, or self-protection. His life was worth something only if it was spent finishing the assignment Jesus gave him. Whether there was persecution or praise on the horizon, Paul was agnostic and solely focused on obeying God.
That is what makes Acts 20:24 cut so deep. Paul understood that doing anything besides the work Jesus assigned him was like doing somebody else’s homework. It may take effort. It may look impressive. It may even get attention. But it is not obedience. We do not get extra credit from our Father for finishing somebody else’s work while ignoring the calling He placed in our hands. That is convicting, but it’s also freeing.
So this is not a message about striving. It is grace and truth together. God is incredibly gracious when we ignore our calling, but He keeps knocking until we see it, hear it, and obey it. If we do not know our assignment from Jesus, the first step is not panic. It is abiding. We slow down, lay ourselves on the altar daily, let Holy Spirit shape us, and listen until His private direction gives us courage to obey God’s calling publicly.
Paul says the same thing another way in Galatians 6:14-16. We should not boast in anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of the cross, the world’s grip on us is crucified, and our need for the world is crucified too. What counts in God’s Kingdom is not activity, reputation, or comparison. What counts is becoming a new creation in Christ. Paul said applying this principle would make God’s peace and mercy rest on us. From that place, whether we are preaching, driving, teaching, cleaning, or cutting grass, our assignment is to reveal the wonderful grace of God by bragging about Jesus and completing the work He gave us to do.