I asked AI this question, not that I’m depending on it to give me any direction but to get a world view as this intelligence mechanism often gives. What Matters the Most in Life?
As the New Testament Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, draw nearer, we must grasp what we are trying to achieve or accomplish during these “appointed times.”
The fact is if we are going to be striving to put sin out of our lives as we leave Egypt behind; we must set our pathways right. We must decide what is important for you and what is not. AI said this in response to my question:
“According to most perspectives, what matters most in life is strong, positive relationships with family and friends, personal health and well-being, a sense of purpose or meaning in life, and the ability to experience love and connection; essentially prioritizing the quality of your relationships and your inner peace over material possessions or external achievements.”
From the list, two important items on that list jump out at me…(1)A sense of purpose or the meaning of life and (2)your inner peace over material possessions.
The first point directly relates to the followers of the risen Christ i.e. what’s our purpose here and what is the meaning of life? Are we just living for living sake because God gave us the breath of life or we just live and die as we have no control over death?
We are born. Our parents take care of us as a baby into our teenage years; we study, get an education and a profession, get married, and begin to live on our own. We buy a house if we can, a car(s), and we start a family. Every morning, we wake up often tired, get the children ready for school, look forward to enjoying our meals, accomplishing some things at work, return home to spend some time with the children, and get ready for the next day. There are times when we take a vacation with the family, and try to find something to watch on television or some other form of leisure. You continue that cycle until retirement; fulfill your bucket list, get sick, and die? Some of us live to our allotted times of 70 years and more; others die before. That’s it? Life?
What should matter to us most during our sojourn here on this journey called life? The AI answer is interesting because the other item from the AI list falls exactly within the framework of what life is about for most people. The AI suggestion is…try to have inner peace over material possessions. All of what I just captured in a few seconds about our physical life falls into the category of material possessions or aspirations. The AI gives us a view of the temporariness of life. Here today, gone tomorrow. The Book of James says life is like “vapour” and Isaiah says it’s like grass – it withers and dies.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832)German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, critic, and amateur artist was regarded as the greatest and most influential writer in the German language. He said this: Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least. It’s about the choices we make in this life – the choice between what is important and what is not.
We have a limited time to choose the right pathway when God calls. It’s not about gaining the whole world and losing our own souls, as Matt. 16:25 warns us. Those are the material possessions the AI told us about; they will vanish in due time, they’re temporary. Let’s then put the s; spiritual matters above the physical matters.
God’s appointed times, The Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread remind us about sin and the need to put it out of our lives. When we are deciding what should matter most in our lives, we cannot forget or overlook our weaknesses or what causes us to sin. Jesus, the Christ, has already paid the penalty for our sins, but that doesn’t mean we sin whenever we want because Jesus has already paid the price. It doesn’t work that way. The Word of God says in Isa. 59:1-2, Behold, the Lord‘s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
We must choose what matters to God; what matters to God will be what truly matters to us in this life. The Holy Bible tells us what matters to God. Eccl. 12: 13-14, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
We must seek to put God above everything else in our lives – above our spouses, children, family, jobs, and careers. If we put these things before Him, we are committing idolatry; we are breaking His Commandments, which is a sin. Sin separates us from God. What really matters then?
Phil. 1: 10 tell us, “For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Job 14:10 sums up our destiny if we choose God above everything else. “10 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? 11 As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:
12 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. 13 O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. 15 Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands. 16 For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin? 17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.”
The supreme sacrifice of the Christ is about forgiving our transgressions, our sins that lead to death. Job recognized it from way back; in our modern age it is still relevant, and for the future it’s even more meaningful. We now have every reason to make YAHWEH the most important priority in our lives!
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