What makes life truly worthwhile? When I ask people that question, I get a variety of responses: family, friends, health, freedom, the capacity for intellectual thought, humor, imagination, the arts, and that biblical triad: faith, hope and love.
Many people give this response: a sense of purpose. Paul Tillich, a German theologian who was trained in psychology, said that contemporary Christians would miss the mark if they preached the gospel as a way to avoid “going to hell” or “feeling guilty for our sins.” Some people may worry about those things, Tillich said, but what most people fear more than hell or guilt is futility. We are only here on earth for a little while. Our biggest concern may be whether our lives will make a difference: Will it matter that we were here?
People who love are people who make a difference in the world. They are the “salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14). They are people who are “turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) – or right-side up, depending on your perspective.
This message is excerpted from the Bible study “The kingdom of God: Here and now” by Mark Allan Powell in the March/April 2022 Gather magazine. Today we commemorate Perpetua and Felicity and companions, martyrs at Carthage, 202.
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