The Main Thing

Today we will consider the important aspect of prioritizing our lives to ensure that we live purposeful lives in the eyes of God. Every single person has been given a purpose by God, He has set out a specific mission for each of us in varying spaces and degrees, and He has an expectation that this mission be fulfilled. Relatedly, true success in the eyes of God is the measure of the accomplishment of what He had mandated us to do. It is not the acquiring of wealth and other worldly possessions; it is simply based on whether an individual has done what God had tasked them to do while here on earth. The question then becomes – why do people not accomplish what God has called them to do? It is always one of two things: it is either that we do not know what we are called to do, or, that we do know, but we do not make the main thing the main thing.

Reading the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1-20), we read that the same seed (the Word) was sown across four different grounds and yielded different results. This is the truth of the matter, is it not the quality of God’s word over your life and His call towards your destiny that determines the end result, but it is the environment that the individual is placed in that ultimately shapes the final outcome. If the children of God have not managed their environments and their priorities, they will not accomplish the fullness of God’s call over their lives. Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12); this is not to advocate for religious piosity and meaningless rulesets, but rather to understand that if a man is not careful about the structure of his disciplines and what he lets into his life, he will easily be drawn away by distraction. For example, you can choose to do online church or the forsaking of church altogether, but this is not beneficial to you (Hebrews 10:25). Look at the life of Jesus, we read, “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read” (Luke 4:16). In other words, Jesus was known for continually going to the house of God; this was an activity that characterized His life – what are you known for? Even at a time when the Lord has been separated from His parents, He was found in the temple (Luke 2:49). Would you say you have the same priorities as Jesus? Jesus was not always up and about in every corner of town, He had a set purpose (1 John 3:8), and He lived His life at all times with this end in mind.

From the scriptures, we can deduce the areas that should always be placed as priority in the life of a believer: Number one is our relationship with God. Let us consider the story of Martha and Mary – after Martha had complained that her sister was not helping her serve, Jesus responded to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). We see from this passage that even ‘good’ activities at God’s expense are not good at all. Your fellowship is first, not your service, your giving, your hobbies –  Jesus is the main meal! A good example in this regard was Joshua, who declared boldly that no matter what people chose and did, he and his house have chosen the ways of the Lord (Joshua 24:15). We too ought to develop this same attitude of aggression and determination in our relationship with God.

Secondly, God also created men to fellowship with each other, and we too ought to place value on the Body of Christ and value one another the same way God valued us.  But this is not to say that we ought to run amok with every person without exercising discretion, the scriptures tell us, “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Proverbs 12:26). Again we read, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20). Choose your friends carefully, those who move you closer to God and who encourage you in your pursuit of godliness, those who honour and value you and who do not compromise your call in Christ Jesus. The truth is, we become an average of the people we have around us, when Saul came into the company of the prophets, he too began to prophesy (1 Samuel 10:11) – this is the reality! 

Lastly, we need to realise that we are blessed not for the sake of acquiring wealth and riches for ourselves, but we are blessed to become a blessing (Genesis 12:1-2). Yes it is true that we will benefit from the blessing of the Lord, but we are not the sole recipients and the end result of that blessing. It is God who prospers us, it is the saints who prayed for that same job – but we are then quick to forget who blessed us and for what purpose we were blessed. In summary, let us always prioritise our relationship with God and cultivating godly relationships in our lives, while also ensuring that we are not entangled by the deceitfulness of riches and always keep our eye on Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. 

Prayer

Father, we thank You for Your Word. We learn and grow daily unto righteousness. We thank You father, because You strengthen us daily, washing us clean by the Word and sharpening our discernment and wisdom! We are waxing stronger and stronger, kept by You spirit, soul and body. May Your Word continue to dwell richly in us, until the coming of Lord and Savior. In the name of Jesus, Amen!