A Meaningful Life
Derek Sivers said “Die Empty” (which is actually a book by Todd Henry).^1
Bill Perkins has a book named “Die with Zero”.^2
Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf coined the motto “Preach the gospel, die, and be forgotten,” a pietist way of living for missionaries. ^3
Todd aimed to live fully and create everything possible with his lifetime, being productive. Perkins’ book aims to help people enjoy their earnings rather than let them sit idle as useless cash. However, Nikolaus’ message was to live for a cause that extends beyond one’s life.
What can we achieve if we combine all of them? A meaningful life. Maybe a bit of what Viktor Frankl’s^4 work was about, but it’s really what the Bible has been preaching all along.
Let’s do a mental exercise. For example:
1. Die Empty – Living Fully & Using Your Gifts
These verses encourage pouring out your talents, energy, and life for God’s purposes:
- 2 Timothy 4:6-7 – “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
- Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
- Matthew 25:14-30 (Parable of the Talents) – calls us to invest what’s entrusted to us, not to bury it.
- John 9:4 – “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”
2. Die with Zero – Enjoying & Sharing God’s Provision
Scripture teaches that blessings are meant to be enjoyed and shared generously, not hoarded:
- Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 – “I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.”
- 1 Timothy 6:17-18 – “Command those who are rich…to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”
- Luke 12:33-34 – “Sell your possessions and give to the poor…For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
- Proverbs 11:24-25 – “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”
3. Be Forgotten – Living for God’s Glory, Not Our Fame
These verses remind us that the goal is to glorify God, not ourselves:
- John 3:30 – “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
- Galatians 6:14 – “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
- Matthew 6:1-4 – “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them…your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
- Psalm 115:1 – “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”
- Isaiah 40:8 – “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
What if we blended these three ideas into a single vision for living?
- Die Empty – exhaust your gifts, leave nothing undone that your heart calls you to create.
- Die with Zero – savor your resources while you’re alive; don’t hoard what could have been joy or generosity.
- Be Forgotten – don’t cling to legacy or fame; let your life point to something larger than yourself.
Together, they outline a counter-cultural but liberating path:
Live fully, give fully, and release the need to be remembered.
You pour out your talents and your wealth for meaningful work and for people you love, and you do it in service of something transcendent—whether that’s your faith, humanity, or the next generation.
This aligns with Viktor Frankl’s insight that humans thrive when a purpose beyond pleasure or power guides their lives. It’s also ancient wisdom echoed in Scripture: “Whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
A possible summary mantra could be:
Create what only you can create.
Share what you have while you can.
Then step aside so the story isn’t about you.
That’s a life well-spent—productive, joyful, and meaningful, all at once.