First things first
OPINION —
I went to play disc golf at the Tumble Tree course at our sportsplex. Due to the heat and humidity, I was out there early — about 6:45 in the morning. I applied sunscreen, put an extra shirt in my cart, got my rosin bag, range finder, a pear to eat, my camera (just in case I came across some geese or a fox) and my cap with the drop-down neck protection, and I was ready to go. As I closed the lid on my truck bed, I realized what I had forgotten to bring. I had all the peripherals but had somehow forgotten the main thing you need on a hot, humid day. I had forgotten to bring any water. Yikes!
How did that happen?
I’d like to say that’s the first time something like that has happened to me, but of course it isn’t. And my guess is that you’ve have had the same experience. We live in a consumer culture that majors in accessorizing us for whatever our needs/wants might be. That being so, it’s easy to get lost in the accessorizing and forget the real purpose of whatever it is we’re preparing to do.
Haven’t we all known fisherman who had all the gear in the world but somehow rarely got a hook in the water? Or how about this one: people who have lots of books, but they mostly just sit there and collect dust. The point of fishing gear is to catch fish, the purpose of a book is to be read. Yet somehow that’s not always what happens.
When it comes to following Jesus, it’s no different. Disciples can get caught up in the peripherals. At Corinth, some had gotten caught up in following the people teaching them about Jesus (Paul, Apollos, Peter), rather than following Jesus (see chapter 1). That still happens today. Then, hard as it is to imagine, some got caught up in issues about food (see Romans 14-15). The New Testament (like the Old) is straight up in pointing out to us the different ways the people of God can get sidetracked.
As someone succinctly noted, “The main thing disciples have to do is make sure we keep the main thing the main thing.” And what is the main thing? Jesus said it is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). We do that by loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
Fortunately, there was a water fountain outside the sportsplex, so I drank plenty of water there before I started my round. I ate my pear about halfway through and finished playing before the hot part of the day began. But I learned my lesson. From now on, water will be at the top of my list of things I take with me.
First things first, right?
Find more of Bruce’s writings at his website: a-taste-of-grace-with-bruce-green.com.
