Steve Jobs is dead …..

Steve Jobs is dead at the age of 56.  His death was a global news story.  He is known for  impacting the world through Apple computer.  He is largely responsible for the creation and evolution of the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.  He had great wealth and vision.  What did he do that will affect eternity?  How did he spend his time? What can we learn from this man?

 

Steve Jobs was an amazing man.  God gifted him with creativity, drive, ambition, and a vision for the future.  He changed the way people interact with each other and with the world.  He was a college drop-out but a genius . After dropping out of required college courses, he “dropped in” on the ones that interested him.  Courses like graphic design and art.  His understanding of aesthetics and his love for art and calligraphy greatly impacted the technology that we have today.  Do all of his accomplishments mean that the world is better off today?  We have unprecedented access to information  but do we have greater understanding?  I don’t think so.  Mankind still struggles with the same things they have since the beginning of time. 

Below is an excerpt from Steve Jobs’ 2005 Commencement Address at Stanford.

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

While I have seen no evidence that Steve was a believer, ultimately that is between Steve and God.  We have no idea what went on in Steve’s heart, especially in his last days as he faced his own mortality.  It is important for us to know that it is possible to lead a successful life, to be the creator of incredible inventions, to impact the world and the way they communicate,  and yet that none of these accomplishments can earn him one minute in heaven. 

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. “ Ephesians 2:8-9

Let Steve’s life and words remind us that life is short.  Don't waste it on things that don’t matter.  Pray that God will help you know what does matter.  Pray that the Lord will help order your steps and your priorities. 

Be thankful to God for giving us Steve Jobs.  There is no doubt that he had many gifts and talents.  Be thankful to God that he used those talents to provide us with wonderful tools and gadgets.  Then seek ways to use those tools to impact the world around you.