Introduction

·        Illustration: Helt's seminary professor used to say, "There's two kinds of men: them that are Scotsmen and them that wish they were!"

·        Why do people seek out their heritage? To feel valuable, leave our mark on history, or live a life that counts for something?

God has given Christians the blessing of a different value system.

·        1Corinthians 1:4–8

·        Christians in Corinth had all sorts of flaws, weaknesses, and moral failings.

·        Christians should hold different values from those who are not Christians.

      -     Illustration: Charles Swindoll recounts a humorous story in his book, The Grace         Awakening, about a woman who tried to hold on to her departed husband.

·        If we don't have a right relationship with God, our lives are wasted.

God has given Christians his grace.

·        God's grace, is more valuable than money or material wealth.

·        Illustration: The difference between religion and Christianity is explained by Fritz Ridenour in How to be a Christian without Being Religious.

·        Religion is people trying to win God's favor, but Christianity is accepting and responding to God's grace.

Owning God's gift of grace determines the course we set for our lives.

·        Accepting the gift of salvation also makes us free to set different goals and measure success by a different standard.

·        Illustration: A factory worker and clock shop owner discover that they have been relying on each other to set their clocks.

·        Our perspective on success and meaningfulness depends upon what we use to measure it

      -     Illustration: A Christian woman astonishes her boss by revealing that she is not             motivated by money.

·        If we could realize what we've been blessed with, we could live contentedly.

·        Understanding the gift of God's grace really should call all our goals and values into question.

Conclusion

·        It doesn't matter what our heritage is.

·        We are not wasting our lives if we are living in the service of our Creator.