The Most Important Thing

Yesterday afternoon, I dropped off my daughter and a friend to begin rehearsals for the Oklahoma State FFA Convention Chorus.  We had a problem about an hour before I dropped them off, because my daughter happened to realize that she had left her chorus music at home.  She was upset, obviously, because she thought she remembered packing it and knew she would need it.  It was the "most important thing".....the main thing needed for the rehearsals.  Thankfully, the reason she had the music at home was because the chorus director is very well organized and sent it out a couple of weeks ago so that all of the chorus members would learn their words and tunes in advance.  So, she knew the words, but still needed the music.

Quickly we called and made arrangements to drop off the two girls, and I went about an hour towards home to meet my oldest son and mother-in-law (my husband was preaching out of town) with the music.  They drove about an hour and 15 minutes to meet me.  Not something in our plans for the afternoon, but something that we did to help out my daughter.

She kept thinking, as we all would do, "How could I forget the most important thing?"

Something occurred to me while I was doing all of that driving yesterday.  For my daughter, that music was the most important thing she needed at that time.  Tomorrow, at performance time, her most important thing would be the FFA jacket and other clothing items she is supposed to wear.  At others times, it would be something else.  Sometimes we all forget "the most important thing", don't we?

The most important thing, in reality, should be that we become Christians....that we live a faithful life and that we spend eternity with God and Jesus in Heaven.  There is NOTHING more important than that, is there?  However, many forget this.  Many forget this "most important thing" and neglect the Bible's teachings, believing that perhaps "someday" they'll become a Christian.  They reason that, "Someday I will give my life to the Lord.  Someday I'll commit my life to Christ and His church."  Someday.

Another important thing for us to realize is that we should help bring others to Him.  Our concern should be to go to Heaven and to take others with us.  That is just one of God's commandments....that we seek and save the lost.

Right now, in my life, the "most important thing" are actually the four people that are in our home.  To my husband and I,  they should be the ones we are striving to teach about living a life as a Christian, about staying faithful to God and the importance of His church.  They are the most important thing/people in our lives right now.  Not that we shouldn't try to teach others, but they are our responsibility and God expects us to teach them before anyone else, I am certain.

So, why is it that sometimes we forget the "most important thing"?  Are we too busy?  Too tired?  Too lazy?  Too proud?  Too selfish? Do we just put it off...thinking we have plenty of time to remember?  Do we neglect the important thing in any way at all?  Sadly, sometimes we do.

My daughter realizes now - even more - that she MUST make sure....make double sure.....and even triple sure, that she has everything she needs before she leaves home for trips.  This forgotten thing...this problem could be taken care of but other things might be impossible to fix.

Don't neglect taking care of the "most important thing" in your life.  Don't neglect becoming a Christian.  Don't neglect living a lift of faithfulness and giving your life to Him so that you can live with Him for eternity.  Don't forget/neglect to teach your children about Christ.  Don't neglect to bring them up in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord".  Don't neglect teaching them about His church and telling them/teaching them why it is important.

Don't forget the MOST IMPORTANT THING.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:5-11

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JOE!

Today is my husband's birthday!  I decided to give him his own page on Facebook as a part of his birthday!  The only problem is that he's not a Facebook fan - at all!  I knew that he wouldn't be upset, but I also knew he would want it deleted on May 1.  However, I also knew that he would enjoy all of the birthday messages from friends.

I revealed the surprise to him this morning before he left for work.  As of now, he has 117 friends, in just a few days!  He pointed out the fact that no one would have known he was older if it wasn't for Facebook.  That's true!  And, that's one of the things that I like about Facebook - the ability to tell everyone happy birthday, that otherwise you wouldn't have known were having that special day.

So, I thank everyone for his special birthday wishes and helping make his day special!  Happy birthday, Joe!  I love you very much!  (I started to let this blog post be the way he found out that he even was on Facebook, but I was too excited to wait!)

D.E.N.Y. - Ditch Every No-good Yearning!

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life (meaning soul) will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Mark 8:34-35

In three of the gospels there is an account of Jesus telling his disciples the same thing - that to follow him they must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow him.  That command from Jesus is still very relevant to Christians (his followers) today.  It's relevant to you and to me.  He is telling US to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to follow Him.

An acrostic for the word DENY could be "Ditch Every No-good Yearning" because the dictionary meaning of the word is "To refuse to recognize or acknowledge; to restrain oneself especially from indulgence in pleasures".  No-good stuff!

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

Matthew 16:24-25

There are so many "things" that can distract us from our walk with Jesus.  Satan is ready to give us a way-too-busy schedule or an excuse to keep us of the "good and narrow" path and sadly, sometimes he doesn't have to try too hard.  We must strive to stay focused and keep our eyes on Him.

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

Luke 9:23-24

So, how do you take up your cross and follow Jesus?  You sacrifice for others.  You sacrifice your time.  You sacrifice your rights.  You sacrifice your needs and wants for the sake of others.  You simply your lifestyle so you can give more financially to the needs of others.  You sacrifice your personal time, to help the needs of others.  You sacrifice your right to be recognized so that others are esteemed.   When you give, sacrifice, and love others the way Jesus did, you take up your cross and follow him.  You are worthy of him.  You are his disciple.

So D.E.N.Y. today!  Ditch Every No-good Yearning and follow Him!

Up or Down

When I started dating my now-husband, I was only 16.  He was 22, so it was a big age difference.  Because my mom knew his family and knew their strong Christian background, she never worried about him or our relationship.  My dad didn't, either.  He wasn't the typical, "no one's dating my daughter until she's 20" kind of dad (thankfully!).  But now that our oldest, and only daughter, is 17, and will be leaving home in a little more than a year, I think about my future son-in-law or with my boys, my future daughters-in-law.

There are some important questions to ask yourself if you are of the dating age.  As a Christian, there are some very tough questions that are of utmost importance.  Don't think that you can change someone.  Perhaps they will change on their own, and perhaps you can help them change some, but don't go into a relationship expecting it.  Go into the relationship thinking of it as an "as is" thing, if you will.  In other words, you don't want someone who will change to make you happy while dating, yet after marriage, go back to the way they used to be.  Look at their family.  Look at the way they treat their family, their neighbors, the poor, the sick, the lonely.  Look at their relationship with God.  

So, on to the questions:

Will my relationship with him/her bring me UP or bring me DOWN?
Will he/she help me grow closer to God or draw me further away?
When I am around him/her, does he/she lift me up or drag me down?
Does he/she encourage me or discourage me?
Will he/she stand up for what is morally right and ethically correct or will he/she go with the flow - even if it's wrong?
Is he/she interested in helping others, or does it seem like he/she is more concerned with himself/herself?
Is he/she striving to be closer to God, or is that personal relationship ever even talked about?
How does he/she feel about the church?  Is it important to him/her or is it something he/she feels really doesn't matter?
What does he/she believe about Jesus?  Has he/she given his/her life to him?  Is he/she totally committed to Him?
How does he/she talk about his/her parents, grandparents, siblings?

These are just a few important questions.  Of course, there are many, many more.  But as a Christian, the ones that show whether the person you are dating with draw you closer to God or draw you away from God is the most important of all.  There is no other relationship as important as the one you have with your Heavenly Father and the one you have with His Son and your Savior, Jesus.  Nothing is worth allowing that relationship to suffer.  Nothing.

These questions can be used for relationships with friends and co-workers, as well.  It is our duty as Christians to teach others and bring them to Christ, but we need to be careful that we are not being brought down in the process.  We want to be one who lifts others up, who bring others up with us, and ultimately, people who point others to Him.

Be Somebody

This past weekend I got a text from my sister.  She was watching her son play little league, kid-pitch baseball and said she had a blog post idea for me.  It seems that when some of the young boys (age11 or so) were up to bat, their parents would yell, "BE SOMEBODY!".  The thought that parents were doing this to their children appalled me, and her, obviously.

I wondered to myself, "So, if your child strikes out, is he not "somebody"?".  "If he pops the ball up in the air and is out immediately, is he not "somebody"?"  "Is your child only "somebody" if he does good and makes you feel proud?"  All kinds of questions and sadly there aren't many good answers.

The only thing a parent could possibly mean by yelling this to their child is "make me proud".  Sad, isn't it?  Do you see that in doing this it really has nothing to do with the success of the child, but it is totally directed towards what the parent gets out of it?  Perhaps these parents want little "Johnny" to feel good about himself, but doesn't it seem like they are more worried about how "they" feel about themselves.

Adults, if you grew up with parents who were never pleased with you unless you were performing well according to their standards I'm very, very sorry.  And "kids" of all ages, if you are still living your life to try to please you parents by the way you "perform" or "succeed", I'm very, very sorry.  Parents aren't perfect.  None of us are.  And, yes, the Bible says to honor your father and mother.  But here is something you need to know:  You don't have to prove that you are somebody by doing anything.  To "BE SOMEBODY" has nothing to do with sports, academics, or any worldly success at all.  You ARE SOMEBODY!!!

On this Gratituesday, I am GRATEFUL to say that you and I can "Be Somebody" without having to perform or succeed in any worldly matter!

You and I are SOMEBODY because we were created by a Heavenly Father who knit us in our mother's womb.  You and I are SOMEBODY because He is somebody.  You and I are SOMEBODY because He sent His one and ONLY SON to earth, to live life as a human, to die on the cross for YOUR sins and to give you and I the HOPE of eternal life with Him because of the SALVATION that is found only THROUGH HIM.  You and I are SOMEBODY because we are loved by a GOD who wants ua to live with Him forever and ever.  And in becoming a child of God, you and I are SOMEBODY when we have CHOSEN to follow Him daily and have GIVEN our lives, our hearts, and our SOULS to SOMEBODY WHO MATTERS.

To "BE SOMEBODY" has nothing to do with anything in this world. Don't ever let anyone tell you any different.

For you created my inmost being; 

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

your works are wonderful,    

I know that full well.

Psalm 139:13-14