Word for Today, Sat, 17 Sep 2006, The Most Important Thing revisited
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Dear friends,
Last weekend, I said, "Therefore, we will revisit this topic again and
expound upon it, filling in many of the missing details."
Well, for one thing, the question comes up, is it worth going through
these things? I can tell you one thing. As far as that silliness
about M.I.T. at Digital, to this day, many people still remember it,
and even say, "Those were good memories".
One of those people is a reader of this mailing list. In fact, he is
one of the long standing readers. His name is Ziggy. Stephen Sha was
one of my first buddies in that old group from long ago, but Zig came
along and we all had a blast working together. Was the work "The Most
Important Thing" or even the most exciting thing? Well, we had good
working conditions and two good managers that we worked for, but no,
the work was, at times mundane. It was the PEOPLE that made it fun,
guys like Stephen, Ziggy, BrianS, and yes, even me!
BrianS, like me, thought of his environment as a kind of mission
field. While we were at our desks, we did our jobs, but at every
other opportunity, we sought for ways to share our faith. That is why
when Stephen Sha came up with "Got to do the most important thing" -
with his unique hand expressions going along with his animated Chinese
accent, I couldn't help but do two things with it - one, make light of
it, so we'd have a memory, and two, ultimately turn it into a big
discussion of what is really the most important thing.
Ten years later, Ziggy still remembers M.I.T., and Zig is also in a
really special spot, because after Digital, he really DID attend
M.I.T., the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of
Management. Zig did really well there, then took his expertise to the
other shore - the west coast. Zig has now done Europe, New England,
and California. He has been around.
I have to ask you all this question, though. IF you were to give up
the ghost this very day (or night, depending on when you read this),
do you know for certain that there is a home reserved for you in
heaven?
If you respond, "I think so", that is not a confident response. The
Bible tells you that you can know for certain about your eternal
destination. That destination is not secured by you or what you have
done, it is secured by God's own Son, who gave up His citizenship in
heaven for a season to take on humanity. The book of Philippians, in
chapter two, says this:
Imitating Christ's Humility
1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any
comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any
tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being
like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility
consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not
only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death -
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2 (New International Version)
The book of Romans, particularly in chapter ten, makes it really clear
that Jesus Christ is the answer and the only answer. In chapter
three, we see our need:
10 As it is written:
"There is none righteous, no not one"
and 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
In the previous verse in that same chapter, we see the answer:
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto
all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
So there you have it. We are not righteous at all in ourselves, but
we obtain righteousness by faith, and not just faith in anything, but
faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans chapter five builds on this:
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we
stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Verse eight helps us out even more:
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.
Here is why in Romans chapter six:
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In other words, our actions deserve death. Not one of us is right in
our own ways. It is only by agreeing with God that we cannot save
ourselves that we are in a position to accept the remedy - God took
care of this by saving us through His Son.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans
8:1).
Now we reach the conclusion of the matter in Romans chapter ten:
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be
ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the
same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
... and then, the reason we all ought to become students of the Bible:
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Are you starting to appreciate the REAL Most Important Thing yet?
The Bible is the one true document, definitely penned by various
different men and women, but inspired by the very same Holy Spirit of
God - the same One that dwells within the heart of all those who truly
believe. In fact, that is one way you can be certain of your
standing.
When you first admit to God. "Oh God, I can't do this on my own any
more. I have failed. I try to do what is right, but I keep finding
myself doing what is wrong. I love you, and I realize that I don't
have what it takes. I have heard that You can make me complete, and
that You can save me, and that You want to save me. Now I admit that
I need to be saved, I want to be saved, and I believe that only You
can really save me. I believe it because I know that I have sin in my
life, and only the blood of Jesus can ever repay the price for my
sin. Therefore, reading the Word and believing what it says, I ask
You to save my soul, and based on the truth of Your Word, I believe
that You will, and I believe that you have done just that."
Have you ever said something similar to God, privately, and sincerely
meant it? Did you realize that you cannot save yourself, but that
because of Jesus Christ, you can be saved, and He wants to save you?
Do you believe, first, that He can, and second, that He wants to do
so? IF you genuinely believe all of those things, then based on that
faith, but not on anything else that you have either done or not done,
you are in fact saved. It most certainly is not my words or the words
of any smooth talker, nor the way we look, the way we act, the places
we go, or anything else, that brings salvation. Salvation comes by
faith alone, through Christ alone.
Now THAT, my friends, IS the MOST IMPORTANT THING!
Yours in Christ,
Brian
--Brian Masinick, masinick at yahoo dot com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/