The Main Thing

"Keeping the main thing the main thing." That's the subtitle of the book that I held in my hands, and the simplicity of it intrigued me. And, you may ask, what was the "main thing" or thesis of the book? The Cross. The Gospel. Fellowship with Jesus. You know, the main thing.

Jim Elliot once wrote,

"Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me."

Oh, may that be true. How does one become a "crisis man"? By "keeping the main thing the main thing." The more I am with Jesus, the more He begins to reveal areas of sin, molds my character and perfects Christ in me. I've been thinking about this. Alot. In fact, moments before walking into my midterm this morning I was thinking about what it means to be a "crisis man" (or woman!). And, that's when I saw it -- a piece of paper lying on the sidewalk in the University district. It looked small with the Oxford-styled Fraternity homes on either side of the sidewalk. As I was hurrying by, I saw words on the little paper and I merely glanced down thinking it was another pamphlet from some Humanitarian or Environmental "Save the Whale" group or some political activist. But, the words I read caused me to stop. It was a tract. And the words seemed to be made for me at that moment. It was a little rhyme, and I am only sorry I can't remember it word for word. But, it spoke about when one spends their time with Jesus, He molds that one so that the world around recognizes Jesus in them. I read it and reread it. Not exactly what you expect to see on the sidewalk in the infamous Seattle U-district. And yet, its setting was fitting -- it seemed to emphasize the words that I read. The sidewalk was dirty from hundreds of thousands of university students trudging their way to class and back over the past year. Broken shards of glass from left-over July 4th beer bottles were along the edge of the sidewalk. Miscellaneous pieces of torn paper littered the ground. And, in the middle of it all, lay this lone tract talking about the very thing that I had just been thinking of. Spend time in the Presence. Open your spirit to the work of the Holy Spirit. And, let His Glory shine through to the world around.

Over the last couple of days, the Lord has been graciously taking me to passages throughout Scripture that talk about spending time in the secret place and abiding in Him. He has been speaking to me about the infilling of the Holy Spirit. When Holy Spirit fills, it is impossible to not see Jesus. He increases. I decrease. And, the world cannot help but notice Jesus. He is too kind and too gracious to not notice Him.

"...They were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13)

I want to be known as one who has "been with Jesus." I want to be like Stephen who was a man "full of God's grace and power" (Acts 6:8). How does that happen? By "keeping the main thing the main thing." Devoting oneself to prayer (Colossians 4:2) and the Word of God. Just like that piece of paper, let's be marked as different from the environment around us because it is Christ the Hope of Glory within. And… the world will wonder.