The Main Thing

It sounds kind of obvious, but having a focus on the main thing is essential. There are so many distractions available to us throughout our time here on earth. I’d be willing to bet that most people, if given a few quiet minutes, could write down the top 3–5 things that matter most to them in life.

Now here’s the challenge: if we tracked and recorded our daily activity for 24 hours, I’d also bet that many of us would hesitate to present that day’s footage as proof that those priorities were actually lived out. I say that from personal experience. I used to be great at writing down what was most important to me, and then spending my time on something else entirely. The urgent, the loud, or the convenient would pull me away from what I truly cared about.

So—what is the main thing?

For followers of Jesus Christ, we don’t have to guess. Let’s look at Mark 12:28–31:

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Love the Lord your God—with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. The Main Thing.

Wow. That’s a tall order. And it begs the question: how much of my day is spent intentionally directing my heart, soul, mind, and strength toward loving God?

The truth is, God is always loving me. I exist by his pleasure, created in his image, and for the purpose of glorifying him. But—he allows me to choose how often I become aware of his presence. How often I seek his Kingdom. How often I speak with him. How often I act on his behalf, to do his will.

These are my choices. They matter. To God, and to those around me.

We would all do well to make our main thing obvious by how we spend our time. We may not be recorded 24/7 (at least, not yet), so it’s easy to live distracted. But one day, we will give an account.

And on that day, it will be clear: our hearts, minds, souls, and strength were never better spent than when they were focused on Jesus.

Just a gentle reminder—to myself, and to all of us:
Let’s stay focused on the main thing.

-Mark