"But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." -Acts 20:24
This verse is more loaded than the swat team. There are so many details in it that it could probably be expounded for multiple weeks. So I won't be able to hit on every detail, but lets unpack it anyway.
Paul's desire seems to be focused on getting people free of fear and determined to make their lives count for Jesus. Paul is speaking to the Ephesian elders, and he believes it might be the last time that he will ever see them. He reminds them that he lived among them with humility, tears, and trials (v. 18, 19), but despite the hardships, he did not shy away from declaring the whole counsel of God to them (v. 20). Instead, he taught them "in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 21). Paul senses the Holy Spirit impressing on his heart to move forward to Jerusalem saying that he is "constrained by the Spirit" even though he does not know what will happen to him there (v. 22). Still, he does know that the Holy Spirit has continued to testify to him in every city that "imprisonment and afflictions await" him (v. 22). He knows suffering is in his future and wants to leave with no important words left unsaid.
Then Paul takes an unexpected turn by saying, "I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself" (v. 24). At first, this appears to be a weird comment that someone who has given up on life would say. Surely this is not what Paul was communicating. Maybe he has taken one too many blows to the head? Not at all! On the back half of the verse he explains it. He says, "...if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God" (v. 24). In a sense he has given up on life. He has given up on expecting things in this life to provide lasting fulfillment. This is a guy that killed Christians. Now, by God's grace, he has become a Christian and is willing to die for the spread of the gospel. It is in that sense that he does not consider his life on earth to have so much value that he is willing to give up on preaching the good news in order to save his own life. Paul longed to finish his course and his ministry that Jesus gave him. He longed to faithfully "testify to the gospel of the grace of God" (v. 24). Put simply, Paul knows that suffering is in his future, but he wants to remain faithful in preaching the best news the earth has ever known - God's gospel of grace.
We constantly do the opposite as Paul and count our lives as so precious that we seek to do whatever we can to avoid hardship. It seems to be in our nature. We shouldn't necessarily pursue suffering, but if we live faithfully we will experience it. Sometimes we are tempted to be ashamed of the gospel but finishing the race faithfully is the goal (cf Romans 1:16). Heaven is the goal, because Jesus is there. God has blessed us with thousands of gifts, but we come to Jesus for Jesus. We don't come to him for anything else. Paul is saying that Jesus is supremely valuable. If Paul has to chose between being faithful and suffering, or being unfaithful and safe, he will gladly chose the first option.
I don't know what awaits you today, tomorrow, next week, or in the next decade. However, I do know that God is completely sovereign over every detail of our lives, and we can trust him. He will sustain us through everything. In fact, he is using every suffering, from a sinus headache to cancer, to conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28). Think about how much more we will appreciate never-ending perfection after our few years of suffering! Regardless of what awaits, remain fixed on finishing the course given to us by Jesus to testify of the gospel. Determine, as Paul did, not to account your "life of any value nor as precious" to yourself, so that you may finish your course and the ministry that you "received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God" (v. 24).
