What Really Matters

Pastor Steve Nash

What are the most important concerns in your life today?  It could be that you’re passionate about a certain political or social issue.  You have written, hit the streets, even arrested in some kind of protest as I was several years ago.  You love your country, know its history and long for reformation in the land.  I’m with you brother and sister.  We have joined our hearts together to fight for what we believe to be essential and yet, we have to admit we have lost more battles than have won.

It seems to be one step forward and two steps backwards.  We have marched in numerous pro-life rallies.  We have attended many state and municipal meetings.  We have demonstrated in the parks, in front of government buildings. We have written several letters and signed countless petitions.  We will probably do the things above until the day we die.  It truly is a “good fight” we have committed ourselves to and we won’t back down!

There is an organization that has been founded in our state in recent years.  It is called “Faith, Family and Freedom.”  I have met with one of the founders recently.  I couldn’t help thinking about the title of his new organization.  I said to myself, “That’s what it’s all about – Faith, Family and Freedom!”  What a great name that so powerfully defines the reason for its existence.

Most of us have most likely lived at least half our life.  We have twenty or thirty years left to make our mark in attempting to turn our country around.  My advice to all of us is that we focus on what really matters.  If we think about what really matters we would have to admit that they are issues that involve faith, family and freedom.  Anything outside those parameters may be a waste our valuable time that presents so few opportunities.

I believe that Faith, Family and Freedoms are listed in the way they are because that is the order of priority.

Faith must always be paramount.  Without faith in God we have nothing to live for and surely nothing to die for.  Our faith has “eternal” significance when the others do not.  Faith in God gives us the hope of a better tomorrow for our family and freedoms.  Someone or something can take our family and freedoms away from us but they cannot take our faith!  Faith in our Lord enables us to be optimistic in a pessimistic world.  Faith in our Sovereign God gives us strength when we feel discouraged.  As the Apostle Paul put it, “I am cast down, but not destroyed.”  He also said, “For me to live is Christ and to die would be gain.”  No one can defeat that attitude and certainty of the great Apostle!

Family is the dearest gift, besides salvation, that God could ever given us.  We are knit together in a bond that words cannot explain.  We love, cherish and enjoy our family members.  I have 26 members in my immediate family.  Having seven children gives me a good foundation to expand upon.  My blood flows through their veins; my heart beats as theirs.  When we get together, there is a joy and gladness that rises higher and higher as the different members pull up in the driveway.  Sure, there are disagreements and misunderstandings that arise but they soon pass because we love one another!  My prayer is that all my family members will embrace my convictions and especially my faith!

Freedom is something we have long enjoyed as Americans.  Freedom from oppression and tyranny, freedom to worship God and raise our family as we think best are blessings from God who gave us those freedoms.  We have the freedom to get what education we can afford and seek a certain occupation.  We have freedom to buy land and build a home and marry the one we love.  We have the freedom to go to the ballot box and vote our conscience.  In fact, we have the freedom to be on the ballot!  Our freedoms didn’t come cheaply and they will only survive if we are willing and faithful to shed blood, sweat and tears.  We have freedoms that other nations only dream about.  Freedom is what America is all about!