The *Important* Things

The main thing is not where you live, but how you live where you live.  God doesn't look at the house that a man lives in, but the man that lives in the house.  God looks to the man that has a broken and contrite spirit, and dwells with him. The chief thing is not what kind of car you drive, but what drives you. The principal thing is not what you wear, but what you are. You do what you do, because you are what you are.

It's not the salary you make that is vital, but how you give and spend your salary.  It's not how much you give that matters, but how much you are keeping and hoarding.  Whatever a man throws his money at, that is his 'god'.  It's not how much you give, but how much you have left.  It is not what you have, but what you are inside, that makes you happy or miserable.  The very most important thing in all this world is for you to prepare your soul for Eternity by fixing your faith in the Atoning Blood of God Incarnate, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The essential thing is not your position in life, but are you being and doing what God wants. The main thing is not how many years you live, but how much life is in those years. *John 10:10* Worldly human nature underscores physical beauty, materialism, education, titles, money, career, earthly comforts, fine clothes, worldly position, and retirement. The things that the unregenerate man seeks after are transitory, fleeting, and quickly gone.  Are you sincerely concerned about lost souls going to Hell?  Do you have a burden for prayer?  Do you neglect the Bible?

Don't forget, you're not God.  Do justly (purity), love mercy (charity), walk humbly with thy God (humility).  Untamed passions, wanton power, and an unteachable temperament leads to ruin in this world and damnation in the world to come.  The judgment of God is sometimes an unrestrained deterioration where God slowly gives you up to your own thoughts and devices, and you just destroy yourself.  Men are more concerned how they are perceived by man, than what God knows and sees in their lives.  Now understand -- Poverty of spirit leads to utter dependence on Jesus Christ.  Make Jesus first in your life, He is worthy of your worship, make sure He is your greatest passion, highest pursuit, and greatest love.  Holy Spirit, please help me to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in a practical way with my life and lips.

There is a God, and you're not Him.  A lost man seeks himself, his own glory, and this world's smile and applause. The carnal mind cannot see or understand God.  Lost men walk in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.  Ask Jesus to change your inward desires and appetites.  Ask the Holy Spirit to curb your vile tendencies and make you pure within.  Covet earnestly the work of the Spirit in your heart, and in the hearts of those around you.

Your very first duty in this life is to please the Creator God who made you and died for you. Put nothing before the Lord Jesus Christ.  Rest not till you know the truth of His redemption by being reconciled to God through the bloody death of His Son.  Nothing is so important to a man as to be obedient to his Maker, and to enjoy his Maker’s love.  Nothing is so important to a sinner as to be freely pardoned through the Crucified and Risen Savior, and changed by the power of the Holy Spirit from an enemy of God into a friend of God. The man that makes the best of this world, and that is truly successful and satisfied, and has the greatest enjoyment of the truest and best kind, will do well to give his first attention to the Lord Jesus Christ, and his whole heart to faith in His Blood, and diligence in His service. You have no more important business here on Earth than the business which concerns God, His Son, and Eternity.

Follow Jesus, more self-denial and temperance, daily take up the cross, give up your reputation, be ready to be thought a fool for Jesus' sake, keeping close to the Savior, cheerfully resigning everything that looks like personal glory, in order that Christ Jesus may be first and His name be magnified and glorified. Put your feet into the footprints of His pierced feet.  Point wandering souls to the Cross, abide in Christ, overcome the world, love the brethren, be led by the Spirit of God, serve Jesus, help broken hearts.  Lord Jesus, teach me that I may teach, lead me that I may lead, feed me that I may feed, fill me that I may flow your life into others around me.  Learning to trust, obey and please God is much more important than living a long life.

Bring souls to Jesus, be Christ's magnet to attract hearts, invite wanderers to the Cross, compel them to come into Christ's Shelter of Love.  Love Christ better.  Your one great ambition should be to please and serve God.  Bitterness and resentment grieves the Holy Spirit, it discourages Christians, it distances the lost, and it delights the devil.  The great object of Satan is to do injury to God's people.  The highest object of a Christian worker is to glorify God.  He that would go to Heaven alone, shall never go there at all.  Serve God, testify of His Son, tell others of Jesus' free grace and bleeding love, pray more for lost sinners, live a pure private life, and honor Jesus publicly.  Yield to be nothing, and let Jesus be All in All.

Focus on the weightier matters - righteousness, mercy, faith, temperance, the judgment to come. It's not what you own, but who owns you. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. *I Corinthians 6:20* It's not so much where you work, but why you work, and who and what you are working for. *Ephesians 6:7; Colossians 3:23* Religion looks on the outward appearance, but the Gospel looks on the heart. For the LORD seeth not as man seeth. *I Samuel 16:7* Man judges by what he sees, but the LORD judges what you are within, the thoughts and intents, the will, desires, longings, cravings, imaginations, conscience, and affections. God desires truth in the inward parts. God is looking for inward grace, not outward religious convictions.

Private obedience is better than public sacrifice. Monday morning obedience is better than Sunday morning sacrifice.

Patiently bear and put up with injuries and losses. Don't let poverty or sickness distress you. Resignation to God's will, all of God's dealing must be Right. The habit of Resignation to God is the root of peace. The prayer of faith makes us willing to do without this or that if it is God's will. Carry yourself affably and courteously; never have an ugly, critical, or touchy spirit. Entertain the meanest thoughts of yourself and the best of others. Trust in God, but keep your powder dry. Do not envy the blessings of others, but rather rejoice with them.  Origin (where did we come from?), meaning (why are we here?), morality (what is right and wrong?), destiny (where are we going?).

Be willing to be taught and admonished by the least of the saints. Quietly, cheerfully and heartily submit to the will and providence of God. Ascribe all the glory to Jesus, His free grace, and rich mercy.  Follow after meekness, purity, charity, quietness, lowliness, forgiveness, patience, godliness, contentment, forbearance, humility. Who are you following today? Jesus said, Take up your cross, deny yourself, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

The divine nature underscores God, Christ Jesus, the Holy Ghost, the words of God, the will of God, duty, and the souls around us. Everything that does what God wants it to do is happy. *John 13:17* What means most to you in life? Life is so short, but Eternity is forever and ever. Be wise - plan for Eternity, not just retirement. Look to, believe, receive, trust to, and depend on Jesus as your Sin-Bearer and Savior. Use your time, strength, talents, faculties, and substance for Jesus' honor and interests.  Life is like a coin, you can only spend it once. What you choose to spend your life on, that will determine what your life is worth.

The man who succeeds at the wrong thing in life outside the will of God is a failure. The will of God is always the right thing. Life is not measured by the things which you possess. *Luke 12:15* True success is yielding and doing what God wants you to do. The man who lives and dies here on earth without finding out why his Creator put him here, he is a perfect failure.  I have trusted my soul in the blood of Jesus Christ.

The Blood of Jesus Christ can't be seen by human eyes, but it washes away human sin freely and eternally. *Revelation 1:5; 5:9* The Cross is how God loved His enemies. *Romans 5:9-10* God's love is so expensive; His love is free to us, but it cost Jesus Christ His life. *I John 4:9* God spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all; God laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all, so He could freely and justly lay on us the Righteousness of Jesus. *II Corinthians 5:21*

One of the sweetest words in the Gospel is "whosoever", that means that any sinner today that stops believing in himself and believes solely on Jesus Christ, God Incarnate who bled and died for the ungodly, can be immediately saved from their sins. Eternal life begins for a man the moment he believes on Jesus Christ; Eternal life is a present possession for every believer.  Men spend billions of dollars to try and find water on Mars, but they won't take the water of life freely. Man wants to get to Mars, but not to New Jerusalem. *Revelation 21:2-6*

The love of God is eternal. *John 10:28* All pure love comes from God.*I John 4:10* God is invisible; He is eternal. *II Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:27* By faith we see God who is invisible. Souls can't be seen, but they are immortal. He that winneth souls is wise. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The things you can see don't last, they belong to time. Lay hold on eternal life - Jesus Christ Himself. *I John 5:11-13* Live for Eternity, not just for the here and now. Always give Jesus the preeminence in all things. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. What means most to you in life?

The hope of eternal life keeps us from fainting. The things you can't see are eternal. Have an eye always to eternal things. Keep your thoughts on Jesus and others. You can't see prayers, but they are eternal. *Revelation 5:8* We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. *II Corinthians 4:18* Throw your whole being into eternal things.

Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Look to the little things each day, do your duty for Jesus' sake. All I want the rest of my life is what God wants. Always be giving, and never asking back. *Luke 6:34-35* Desire the things which are eternal, set your affection on things above with hope. The eye of Faith makes Christ Jesus Himself our chief aim and joy. Long for Jesus' appearing, expect and watch for Him. Look unto Jesus, pursue eternal things, keep your eye on the prize. *Matthew 25:21*