WHAT MATTERS MOST

By David Pam McQuel

The man was intriqued. 

He was torn between who to believe. The man of his own company,  as they ceaselessly scandalized him which appeared to be out of pure jealousy or to follow the intuition of his heart?

He was  raised in this prestigious exclusive class and have studied hard. But he is an analyst and pragmatic melancholy. He cuts through the emotions and the sentiments and deals with hard facts. 

He has reasoned with the ancient writings, he has tried to reason with his colleagues but they were too hysterical. They were consumed by hate rather than reason. 

Day by day this man sweeping the country and touching it has intriqued him more than any other in his seven decades. He was all out in the pursuit of this object of obsession. 

He won't rest until he finds the truth.

Finding the truth was going to be the greatest finding of his life and he wasn't going to rely on others' judgement. He will decide for himself.

He took a few days to follow him. Observe, interview, ask questions and examine carefully both as his upbringing trained him and as much as he has raised the bar even for himself on integrity. He will get to the bottom of this.

He followed the meetings, talked with his staff, asked his acquaintances and could not find a single stain in the man's life. Nobody ever caught him lying, nobody ever seen him being unjust to others. He was the most generous man. He was gentle and soft, kindhearted beyond the best human being.

Most compelling was the substance of his message and the undeniable fruit of his ministry. There was no way to challenge him. He was not selfish or a braggart. He was so selfless but highly disciplined. He was so gracious but firm. 

He was so simple and mixed with every ordinary person but beyond reproach.

I'm always aware of how my company wished he disappeared.
I have to do what I have tried to avoid most, meet him face to face. And I'll do it sooner than later.

And this evening Nicodemus, a prestigious Pharisee came to Jesus late in the evening in disguise. He could not tell his colleagues his admiration of the Rabbi. He was anxious for a second. What will he say to the Rabbi?

Nicodemus got there and as usual there was certainly no protocol.
"Come on in, Nicodemus!" Jesus gave him a warm Middle-Eastern welcome. Everyone around Jesus smiled. With him there was no dull moment. And no sad countenance.

"Shalom"

"Shalom" Simon Peter and the rest chorused.

As Jesus sat with Nicodemus, the man was so anxious that he eulogized Jesus. The  Rabbi stopped him softly brushing aside his eulogies with an intriguing phrase: "unless a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven."

Before he could digest and discern the words of this first sentence, Jesus got him confused again. From then it was a thriller. This man highly reverred by his colleagues became a baby at heart.

And for the next one hour Jesus held him spellbound like a kid watching cartoon network. He soaked in words like a piece of foam in water.

What mattered most? 

This is the question we must answer, and always.

Its not the infrastructure. It is not the superb facilities. It is not the crowd. It is not wealth. It is nothing earthly.

What matters most?

It is the value of one life in the eyes of God. In all the activities and spending of resources by the local church, winning lives for Christ MUST be the primary and ultimate pursuit.

Let's put saving the lost at the top of our priorities today.