As Jesus walked the earth, His invitations were remarkably consistent. Again and again, He called people to “Follow Me,” “Come after Me,” or “Come to Me.” In fact, Scripture records Jesus calling people to Him about thirty five times, while the call to “believe in Me” was used only four times. The emphasis is clear: authentic faith is not merely mental belief and agreement; it is a way of life living with, and following Jesus.
Almost every time Jesus issued that call to follow Him, He attached a sobering clarification:
- Matthew 16:25 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake (“Cause, Purpose, Reason”) will find it.
These were not just poetic words. He was identifying the central question of every human life: Whose cause will define you, yours, or His?
He went on to ask what may be the most piercing question in all of Scripture:
- Matthew 16:26 What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul (Matthew 10:39, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:23-25, 17:33 etc.).
As we step into a new year, many people are making resolutions such as goals for health, finances, careers, or personal growth. None of those things are wrong in themselves. The problem arises when God’s people adopt them as their STARTING POINT and PRIMARY AIM, while reducing what Jesus instructed to a secondary place. This is the wisdom of this world, not the wisdom of God which leads to His life.
The wisdom of this world asks questions like:
- What do you want to do with your life?
- How much money do you want to make?
- Where do you want to live?
- What career best suits you?
There may be some practical wisdom in some of those questions, but Jesus never made them the foundational motivation for life. His call always began somewhere else: “For My sake. For My cause. For My purpose.” When our lives are built on anything else, even good things eventually become empty things.
Thomas Merton, the great theologian and writer, captured this danger with haunting clarity:
“People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.” – Thomas Merton
C.S. Lewis echoed the same truth from a different angle:
“Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” – C.S. Lewis
Apart from God and His purposes, our pursuits become an endless chase. They become activity without fulfillment and motion without meaning. The Message Bible paraphrases this in translating Matthew 16:25 “Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself—your true self.”
Wisdom from the End of the Road
As one-year closes and another begins, reflection comes naturally. We ask hard questions: “Is my life heading in a good direction? What truly matters? What needs to change?” When we wrestle with those questions, it is good to listen to the worlds of who many consider the wealthiest, wisest, and most accomplished man who ever lived, King Solomon.
Solomon had everything the world promises will satisfy: wealth, power, pleasure, and influence. Yet his life was a blend of extraordinary success and devastating failure. Even through his failures, Solomon continued to head God’s direction and, in the end, God allowed Solomon to distill his experiences into wisdom that has echoed through the centuries. The book of Ecclesiastes is full of that wisdom. It is not theory but wisdom forged in reality.
The Message translation captures Solomon’s reflections amazingly in a passage that I have used many times speaking at funerals.
- Ecclesiastes 7:1-2 MSG A good reputation is better than a fat bank account. Your death date tells more than your birth date. You learn more at a funeral than at a feast (party) – After all, that’s where we’ll end up. We might discover something from it.
Lessons from Those Facing Eternity
Over the years, I’ve seen Solomon’s wisdom confirmed in deeply personal ways. I’ve sat at the beside of many as they faced death, including my parents. I’ve also read extensively from those who work in palliative and hospice care, listening to the thoughts and expressions of people facing death and eternity who have nothing left to gain or prove.
One caregiver, Bronnie Ware, documented what she heard repeatedly in “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.” Hospice physician Dr. Simran Malhotra has also shared similar insights, saying: “If we allow it, death can be our greatest teacher. It forces us to question our priorities and shows us what truly matters.” – Simran Malhotra
Across cultures and circumstances, the regrets are strikingly consistent, including the most important eternal regret, facing God without His forgiveness through Christ. Here are some of the more common regrets
- Not investing in relationships.
People regret unresolved conflicts and lost time with family and friends. - Working too much.
Ware noted, “All the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of work.” - Living for the expectations of others instead of God.
Solomon warned, “The fear of man is a snare” (Proverbs 29:25). - Overvaluing money and possessions.
At the end, no one boasts about houses or cars, only about people they love. - Failing to express their hearts.
Authentic communication brings freedom. Paul urges us on this matter to, “Speak the truth in love to one another,” (Ephesians 4:25). - Losing touch with important people.
Ware observed, “In the end, it all comes down to love and relationships.” - Not living with gratitude towards God which helps bring joy in our lives. Many lived with consistent focus on fear and misery. They focus on what they don’t have, or what they thought would bring fulfillment, instead of being thankful for what they did have, especially the important people in their lives. Gratitude towards God is a choice that leads to freedom.
Jesus understood this instinctively. He delighted in children, and told us plainly that the Kingdom belongs to those who become like them (Matthew 19:13-14, Mark 10:13-15, Luke 18:15-17) . He was identifying a childlike faith (not childish faith) which is marked by trust, wonder, and joy.
A Second Chance: The Story of Alfred Nobel
The good news is this: if you are reading this, it is not too late. Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, made a fortune supplying tools of destruction. When his brother died, a newspaper mistakenly published Alfred’s obituary, calling him “The merchant of death.” Reading how the world would remember him shook Nobel to the core.
That moment of clarity changed everything. Nobel redirected his wealth toward honoring contributions that benefit humanity, leaving behind what we now know as the Nobel Peace Prize. He saw his life clearly before it ended, and chose to change. God is calling us to do the same.
As we approach the new year, consider the following important ideas in God’s presence:
- Am I walking in obedience to God? Love Him, Fear Him, keep His commands, and live with eternity in view.
- Am I living in light of eternity? If today were your last day, how would you live it?
- Are there people I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness?
- Are their people I need to express my love and gratitude for?
- Am I prioritizing what truly matters? Choose God first, and from that posture pursue love, faith, obedience, and people, These are the only things that are eternal.
- Am I living with, and expressing gratitude which opens us to God’s joy and God’s way? Embrace childlike faith. Delight in the simple and eternal things which sin often causes us to overlook and ignore.
Every conversation, every moment, every relationship matters more than we realize. Any interaction could be the last. LIVE TODAY IN LIGHT OF THAT DAY! You will not regret it.