The apostle Paul saw his life best lived by being completely poured out.  At the end of his life there would be nothing left; he could, with confidence, say that he ran the race, he kept the faith.

What was he poured out for?  People’s faith in Jesus.  He would give his all, whether traveling or in prison, so that people’s faith would flourish.  His confidence in Jesus resulted in effort that left it all on the table.

Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. (Philippians 2:17).

The  implications of this statement show that your work is not fundamentally about what you accomplish, but what you tried to accomplish.  Our accomplishments are based on many other factors other than just our effort (timing, resources, reception, etc).  Paul ultimately died in a little hole of a cell in Rome while the churches he started were just getting off the ground, many of them with profound problems.  He could have despaired, but instead he had profound confidence at the time of his death — he wasn’t evaluating his life on his accomplishments, but that he gave all for Jesus and people.

And he knew that Jesus was going to take care of the rest.  So what about you?  Are you giving your all, knowing that Jesus is going to take care of the rest?