This is the 6th post here at The Battle Cry with “The Main Thing” as the subject. There are links to the other posts at the bottom of today’s edition. We thought today (11 Feb 2024) would be a good day to reemphasize what is perhaps the world’s most important truth.
You simply cannot escape the excitement and fervent lead-up to the Super Bowl, each and every year. It’s non-stop for just about every media outlet you can imagine. The ‘Greatest Superbowl Ad Ever’ campaign is already underway, as well as innumerable opportunities to buy all sorts of San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs ‘stuff’. Brittany Mahomes (wife of the Chiefs’ QB) is on the latest SI Swimsuit edition. Our daughter-in-law, an absolute sweetheart, even posted a picture of a 49ers cake she baked.
I confess that we (the DanDee couple) watched the playoffs in anticipation of one of our teams making it to the big one. That didn’t happen so maybe we’ll each pick a team and just enjoy watching the game. We still like watching, especially since it seems like some of the controversy over kneeling for the national anthem and ‘woke’ beer commercials have died down.
Having said all that, it might be important to mention that this year, with another presidential election in the near future, just might be the most significant period in the history of our nation, if regardless of which political party, if any, has your allegiance. It does seem like the Super Bowl and the upcoming election are the two topics dominating the national media, with the several international crises following right on their heels.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve become accustomed lately to reading headlines and skipping detailed articles. I’m not just talking about the above topics. You can add natural catastrophes, wars and rumors of war, rising crime, young children being ‘groomed’ to consider what is abomination to God completely acceptable and normal behavior, along with all the rest of the LGBTQ(??) and ‘woke’ agendas. Current issues and events can easily makes us fearful, angry, or both.
To summarize, it just seems like things are becoming worse and worse all across the planet. Christians shouldn’t be surprised, however, because the Bible does tell us that “lawlessness, as well as many other catastrophes and disasters will increase” as we approach the return of Christ, the removal of His church from this earth and His impending judgment. (Matthew 24:2-26). What are we, as followers of Christ to do? To borrow from Dr. Francis Shaeffer’s timeless masterpiece, “How Then Shall We Live?”.
First, it’s important to remember that all of the ills of our culture, our nation, and indeed the entire world are a result of the first Adam’s sin and fall in the Garden of Eden. It’s also self-evident that we cannot, as individuals, solve many of the problems and issue we face in today’s world.
We can however, when we realize that much of what ails us, our nation, and our world can be traced to the sin that resides in the hearts and minds of sinful fallen men, be positive change agents. And that, my friends brings us right back to ‘The Main Thing’ – the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in at least two ways.
1. It is only the gospel of Jesus Christ – his perfect life, death and resurrection for the sins of his people that can resolve the issue of sin! By his perfect life, death and resurrection Jesus paid the price for our sin, satisfying God’s just wrath toward the sins of his people.
“He (Jesus) is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2, ESV)
2. God has entrusted his children with the mission of sharing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world around us, making the Great Commission perhaps the greatest privilege the Creator has ever bestowed upon his creation!
With all that said, I ask myself, “How ya doin’ with that?”
Today, if not every day, is a good time to ask ourselves if we are keeping the main thing, the MAIN thing!
Be Blessed!
________
Links to the other “Main Thing” posts:
Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing – What IS the Gospel?
Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing – Christ died for OUR SINS
Keeping the Main Thing The Main Thing – What Happened on the Cross?
The Main Thing is STILL the MAIN THING
The Main Thing is Still the ‘Main Thing’
The movie/film series based on Dr. Schaeffer’s book can be viewed on YouTube at: How Should We Then Live (1977) | Full Movie | Francis Schaeffer | Edith Schaeffer (youtube.com)