The Most Important Thing

John and Zoe were watching a news report on the chaos and crisis which has enveloped the country and the world. They sat and watched and listened to the report and saw the way people were acting and behaving as if there was no rule of law what so ever. That was followed by a report on how a deadly virus continued to rage across the country and take lives. What a scene. What a mess. They were wondering what could happen next. But at one point in the report, four words spoken by the reporter hit John like a ton of bricks falling on him. Those four words were, "The most important thing." It wasn't the context in which they were used in the report, it was simply those four words. They got John's attention and he turned to his wife, Zoe, and told her, "The most important thing in all of this is Jesus. We can't allow ourselves to be distracted by these events. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus and pray."

John is right; it is very easy to be side tracked or distracted by the events which might be happening in this world at any time. Regardless if it is a pandemic or a riot, none of it has taken our Lord and savior, Jesus, by surprise. He is totally aware of events which are or might be happening anywhere in this world. Nothing is done which He does not know about. And, the most important thing for those of us who are Christians is not to get so far out of balance in our world view that we lose sight of Jesus.

When we find ourselves more involved in the events or chaos than with our fellowship with the Lord, we are out of balance. Turn off the 24 hour news channel; open the Bible and pray. Prayer is the most important thing we can do at any time or in any situation. Prayer doesn't change God's mind, prayer changes situations and lives. I can only advise, I cannot force anyone to do anything. So, I would advise any Christian who doesn't already, open your Bible first thing in the morning. Spend time in prayer and in God's word. It will set the tone for your day. I've been doing this so long I would feel like I forgot to get fully clothed any day I didn't start my day like this.

Don't allow yourself to be pressured into doing or acting in a way which you know is not what God wants from you. I believe, because of what I've seen and heard, many pastors and Christian leaders are being coerced into saying and doing things which is not what they were called by God to do. The pastor is called to shepherd the flock. He is the senior spiritual advisor in the church he is leading. He has been called to teach God's word and the gospel. He is not a community organizer or a political spokesman. He should not be asked to speak in an official capacity from the pulpit concerning political matters or to endorse any political movement or candidate. I believe many will disagree but it is my personal opinion that when the pastor or Christian leader steps into the pulpit on a Sunday morning or any other time, that is God's time, not the time for any other agenda. I don't think the pastor should be forced or intimidated into believing he should have to voice his opinion or ideas on any issue which goes against his own convictions.

  The most important thing we Christians can do is to know and trust that Jesus is in control. He is God and He is sovereign over every little thing in this universe. Nothing happens without His direction or knowledge. So, any chaos or virus or crazy activity which might happen in this world is not unseen or unknown by Him. The biggest mistake we can and do at times is lose sight of that fact. And, the nonbelievers will always ask why. Why did He allow this to happen or that or why did He allow this person to die? And, sometimes the answer is not clear even to us but we trust in God and His sovereignty and know He has a reason for everything that happens. We might know why in the next ten minutes or in the next twenty years or never in this life. And for the nonbeliever to ask about why a person had to die, well we all will die unless the rapture occurs first. But they must understand the consequences of sin. Sin will bring physical death since it has contaminated the physical body. But through Jesus we have a second chance. He died on the cross and rose again to pay the price for sin and although we will die physically as a result of the effects of sin on our life, we will also rise again to eternal life if we accept Jesus as our savior.

But the most important item to remember concerning all of this is Jesus didn't have to die for us. He didn't have to pay the price to redeem us. When the nonbeliever asks why their loved one or friend had to die as a result of a virus, they must understand the ultimate cause behind the virus is sin and the only cure is Jesus. And for those who know Jesus as Lord and savior, physical death has no hold on them.

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.
 O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.  But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.    1 Cor 15:54-57  NLT

As we see the chaos and violence of riots and protests play out on the television screen or the abuse of rogue law enforcement, remember, the battle is being raged by those spiritual entities and not by flesh and blood (Eph. 6:10-12). Don't get caught up in the idea of fighting against or for people. The most powerful weapon against this is prayer. Don't fall for the lies and deceit of our enemy the devil. He is the father of all lies (JN 8:44) and masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Simply put, don't get caught up in the mess in this world. Don't buy into the secular agendas whether it sounds good or not. Satan doesn't just throw daggers at us, he also knows our weaknesses and will use them against us.

So finally, whatever the situation in the world might be or whatever might be happening in your own little town, remember, Jesus knew about it before it happened. He already knows the solution. Don't allow yourself to get absorbed into the fabric of the activity. And, always remember that prayer is our most powerful weapon. Prayer for leaders, prayer for the situation and prayer for God's hand on the situation. Prayer for wisdom on our part and never forget that God is sovereign and is in total control of all things.

                                                                                                            -Bill Petite