Most Important Thing

I remember when I finally got to my dream job! What an incredible sense of satisfaction! Fulfilling like nothing I had ever done before.    

For the first time, I wasn't just punching in to do someone else's work to line their pocket, just to get a paycheck. I was doing something for myself. Suddenly, for the first time, my job wasn't just a job. It was an expression of who I am.

What is better than finding your soul mate, that person who fills an empty spot in your life? It's like finding the piece that missing from your puzzle. You feel this incredible sense of finally being complete. You aren't even separate people any more. Like the Bible says, two have become one!

A new baby is a wonderful thing, isn't it? It's amazing how tiny and fragile she is. You can't describe the feeling that comes over you the first time she wraps those perfect little fingers around your pinkie.   

All of a sudden, you understand what the Scripture means when it says we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14).

Some people don't understand how much difference a good education makes. It opens your eyes to a wider world. It helps you understand things you never understood before. It gives you opportunities for a better life that you would never have had without the education.   

But education isn't enough. No matter how many PhD degrees you get, your heart is still no different than anyone else's. We're all still basically selfish, out for what we can get, focused on taking care of No. 1 and making the best life for ourselves we can.

We all need to get away, don't we? We get into a rut, trudging through the same routines day after day. The boss is on your case. The kids are bored. YOU'RE bored. Everyone is so tired of the same old thing. You need a change of scenery.   

So you load up and get away -- "vacate" the premises. You make a clean escape from the hassles of daily life. You go someplace you've always wanted to visit.

If you have a good family, you have a lot to be thankful for. Not everyone can say that these days. A few of us, unfortunately, would even have to say our families did us more harm than good. So you've got to be grateful that God placed you in a good family.   

But could a good family fail you? Could you fail them? What if you had a falling out with your brother? What if you completely failed to live up to your father's expectations?

Good health. Now there's something people often take for granted. Anyone who has suffered ill health knows there is no greater blessing than to actually get a good night's sleep or to be able to do everyday tasks without pain. You don't miss it until it's gone.   

One question: If good health is the most important thing God has done for you, would losing it be the worst thing He could do to you? If you thank God for the good things, what are you going to do when things get bad? 

People can be so amazing! Athletes who break the boundaries of human endurance. A 100-member orchestra that plays complex music in perfect unison. A painter whose deft touch creates landscapes so realistic you'd think you could step right in. An eloquent preacher whose sermons captivate the congregation. A child-care worker whose calm voice quiets a screaming baby. A food service manager who makes dinner for 500 look easy. Practically everyone has some kind of remarkable ability -- if you know where to look.

Serious illness is a real challenge. The physical suffering is made worse by not knowing if you will recover and what will happen to your loved ones if you die. Your every waking moment becomes a prayer for God to spare your life and to help the people who are so worried about you. Suddenly, you have an entirely different viewpoint on what really matters in life.   

Few of us will go through life without suffering heartbreak. Tragedy is a crushing weight, too heavy to bear alone. The loss leaves a void, an emptiness nothing seems to fill.   

In the depths of that pain, your heart cries out, "Why, God?" Perhaps it's "Why me?" Perhaps it's "Why him?" But all we want is to understand why something so awful had to happen. 

Not sure God has done anything for you? No offense, but have you checked your pulse lately? Do you realize your heart will beat more than 3.3 billion times if you live to be 80?   

Again, not meaning to be rude, but is that something you do for yourself? If your heart suddenly stopped, could you restart it yourself?

What could be more frightening? God Almighty, creator of galaxies and subatomic particles, is giving you the silent treatment. What if He is angry with you for some reason? Like the Bible says: "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31).   

Has God always seemed silent to you? If so, then what you need is a relationship with Him. God isn't silent. You just can't hear what He is saying. God can't be your friend unless you first let Him be your God.

Eternal life. Heaven. People don't talk about it much. Many don't even like thinking about it -- because that requires thinking about death and Judgment Day.   

But most people think eternal life is real, and they have very different ideas about what God requires for a person to have it.

No doubt, it does matter to God that you be a good person. We certainly can't be on good terms with Him if we are evil.   

The Bible says God is "holy." That means He is so good and so just and so pure that He defines the words. No one can hold a candle to God when it comes to holiness.

That's partly true. You wouldn't expect to receive a gift like eternal life if you didn't believe the Giver existed.   

But people say "I believe God exists" as if that was some kind of accomplishment. Who can gaze into the vastness of a night sky or watch a butterfly emerge from its cocoon and insist this marvelous world is some sort of cosmic accident?

Search the Bible all you want, you won't find anywhere it says that you get to go to heaven if you join a church.   

God's Word does say we are supposed to be faithful about gathering with other Christians (Hebrews 10:25), but that verse is talking to people who already have eternal life. You don't get eternal life by going to church; you go to church because you have eternal life. 

That's a great first step!   

The Bible says God's creation clearly reveals His amazing power and divine nature (Romans 1:19-21).   

And what a creation! The most basic building block of your body -- the cell -- is actual a complex assortment of microscopic machines made out of molecules, which perform an amazing variety of different tasks.

I suspect a lot of people would agree with you.   

People have a lot of ideas about what it takes to have eternal life. Some people think you need to be a good person. Others would say you have got to join a church. Some believe you just have to believe God exists.   

But none of them can say they are SURE that will get them into heaven. 

A lot of people believe religion is going to help them have eternal life. Many even believe it doesn't matter which religion you follow, as long as you follow it sincerely.   

But that can't be true. Some religions are just plain evil. Does anyone really think that devil worship or a religion that requires child sacrifice is going to convince God to give you eternal life? 

When some people say "I don't believe in God," they mean they don't believe God exists. But when you talk it through, that's not really what they mean.   

Not believing in God doesn't change the fact that He is real. The evidence is all around us in every detail of this incredible world we live in. Deep inside, we all know it's true. God has to be real. All this can't be an accident. None of us wants to believe our life is a meaningless accident.    When you talk it through, most people say "I don't believe in God" because they feel He has let them down. Maybe they are angry that He allowed something bad to happen to them or someone they love.

Most people think of eternal life as living forever in heaven. But it's more than that. Eternal life also is a here-and-now thing.   

Probably the best-known Bible reference to eternal life is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." 

The Bible is not like any other document you have ever read—it is more than a source of information about God and spiritual things. It is actually intended to be the resource that can guide you in all of life. It’s true, the Bible can help a person know, grow and worship God. But you have to read it!   

Experience God Reading the Bible.

A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is an individual experience, but it is far from a private experience!  When you become a Christian your faith is not dependent on anyone else—each of us is saved by our own trust in Jesus.  However, when a person becomes a believer in Christ he/she becomes part of the family of God—the church. Just as a baby is born into a family and grows and matures, so Christians are born into spiritual families that help believers grow and mature.  Although believers can pray and worship on their own, we are also told by Jesus to do these things together too.  

It seems there are as many different approaches and answers to this question as there are people. There is no greater quest than the quest for knowledge of God. Mere words cannot describe him fully. And He cannot be fully comprehended by mortal man, yet as believers in Christ we are persuaded that God can be described to some extent.  We believe this is because the Bible describes God. And the Bible does have some pretty exciting things to say about God!   

If you have discovered the most important thing (which is Jesus), then it is only normal to want to share the most important thing with others!  As Believers, we are called and commanded to share our experience of Jesus with others.     

Matthew 28:19-20 lays the foundation for our sharing.  It says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Witnessing is not an option for the Christian.  He is our example.  He came and laid down his life for ours and set for us an example of how we are to do the same.

Obedience to God and living an obedient life helps a believer grow closer to Christ. Obedience in the Christian walk is important so that you can continue to grow and know God’s will. Jesus said that the evidence of a personal relationship with him is doing God’s will.  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.’” [Matthew 7:21]      Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a Christian. Only those who are in a genuine relationship with Christ are the true Christians. Those who know Christ will want to obey him and follow His will. This does not mean that a believer will always do the right things or never sin.  It only means that believers have been changed by God’s grace and now WALK in relationship with him, following him and living the life that he lived.

We hope this site has gotten you at least thinking about your relationship with God. Are you finding help to grow spiritually and faith to know Jesus Christ?  Perhaps you have even been thinking about going to church again. Has it been a while since you have been in church? Maybe you are one of the ones who wonder why people even go to church these days. Then again, you may not be out of church because you are skeptical about church--you just don't seem to have the time.       

Why Not Go Back?  How long has it been?

Take a minute and think about this question...     

"What is the most  important thing that has  ever happened to you?"      

That's a Big Question!   

When we asked that question on the streets of Oklahoma, we received many different answers. What would be your answer? Was it the day you got the job you have now? Your wedding day? The day your kids were born? Or the dream trip overseas?