What Matters Most To You?

There are moments in life that are truly momentous. Things like graduating from school, falling in love, getting engaged, getting married, witnessing the birth of your child, accomplishing something you didn’t think you could, and finding success at work to name a few.

These are the moments in our lives when we hone in on what is truly important. We pledge to make every day count. But then life intervenes and those momentous occasions are surrounded by interruptions. Things on your “to-do” list do not get done. Tomorrow usually seems like a better place to be than today.

Jesus spent His whole life choosing to do the most important thing at any given moment. He stopped to heal the sick when they crossed His path. He sat on a mountainside to speak life to a waiting crowd. He prayed for children, even as His disciples scolded the people for bringing them to Him. He looked a bleeding woman, a blind man, and a beggar in the eyes and gave them personalized hope.

Think about how Jesus spent His last night as a free man. Instead of rushing around to heal more sick people or giving a last-minute sermon, we find Jesus sharing a meal with His disciples. He set the stress and rush of ministry aside for the most important thing.“When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the Twelve.” (Matthew 26:20) Jesus spent his last hours of freedom with His disciples, teaching them how to remember Him and sharing the foundations of the gospel with them. He prayed for them (John 17) and then prayed for the strength to walk the difficult journey to the cross (Mark 14:32-36). 

Paul, writing to the believers in Philippi says, “For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.” (Philippians 1:10) This verse indicates there is a benefit to us to understand what really matters. Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege. And being known and being loved by God is our greatest pleasure. And then to seek what matters to God first in our lives.  He created us with intentionality; for us to live an intentional life for His purpose. To know His purpose is to know Him; to know Him is to know what is important to Him; to know His heart. And to put those things first in our lives.

A.W. Tozer said this about what matters most: “Yes, worship of the loving God is man’s whole reason for existence.  That is why we are born, and that is why we are born again from above.  That is why we were created, and that is why we have been recreated.  That is why there is a genesis at the beginning, and that is why there is a re-genesis, called regeneration.  That is also why there is a church.  The Christian church exists to worship God first of all.  Everything else must come second or third or fourth or fifth.”

Discussion Questions:

1. What would happen if we began to lean into God, to be intentional enough to discover the things of God that truly matter to Him?
2. Based on what you talk about most, what would people say is most important to you?