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How we approach our Christian journey ultimately depends on what we think really counts in matters of faith. There is no doubt that very often we get it completely wrong and therefore approach our faith based on a wrong premise. All of these are factors in how we worship God, and maybe even have their place in the outcomes of our worship. The problem is that many of us have become experts in majoring in the minors. We tend to focus our energy on the issues that concern us personally, instead of living God’s will for us.
Majoring in the minors of our faith always looks like something other people do. Unfortunately, it is one of those planks in our eyes that we never see even as we manage to see the speck in other people’s eyes. If our faith is not about His word, or His truth, loving Him with all our minds and loving our neighbors as ourselves, then it is most likely that we are majoring in the minors of our faith. It is not a new phenomenon. Majoring in the minor has been with us since the days of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Recall what Jesus Christ said to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23-24, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” Meaning in a hierarchy of important actions, the pharisees focused on the least important things while they neglected the most important. In short, they majored in the minors and minored in the majors.
We must know that everyone majors in something. This is not an issue in which we can be cold or lukewarm. The good things of life often cause us to lose focus on why we are here and for whose glory we are here. We spend so much time in or efforts to acquire the good things of life that we forget what the purpose of those good things are. So, we get into situations where we worship those things rather than serve God. Many of us start well, but it does not take too long for the distractions to take hold of our focus and we find ourselves concentrating on the minors of our faith.
There are several things that can happen in our lives and cause us to loose focus or perspective. Whenever we loose focus or perspective, we can end up being masters of the minors. Our Christian lives are often burdened with personal challenges like illness, worries, worldly desires and other sinful activities that ends up pushing us towards the minors of our faith. These events in our lives are often strong enough that the unwary can be influenced even when they do not plan to be. In our walk here we must always remember that we do not live for ourselves. Our lives must be fully dedicated to serve God and to serve mankind. Any deviation from these ideals will ultimately push us towards the less important activities of our faith.
Majoring in the majors of our faith should always be about engaging in actions that result in the glory of God. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” -1 Corinthians 10:31. Our actions will glorify God when we live the truth of His words. We are made in the image of God, so, our actions should give people a glimpse into the character of God. If we engage in actions that detract from how people perceive God, then we are giving a false picture of God and have therefore forgotten the important things of our faith that we should be about. Those who encounter us should experience the love of God. They should experience firsthand what it means to love our neighbors like ourselves.
Our major in our Christian faith is aptly summarized in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, – “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” His commandments have also been succinctly stated in Matthew 22:37-40 – “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” If our actions are not dictated by these commandments we are majoring in the minors. Let us learn to put first things first. We covet His grace to be able to do so.
Pastor Simbo Odunaiya – November 22, 2020
