October 1, 2025
Beloved of God,
It is an old piece of wisdom, but one that speaks to us again and again:
“The main thing in life is to keep the main thing the main thing!”
Of course, for any follower of Jesus, the “main thing” has to be God.
It is easy to keep God one “thing” in our life among many things, but it is hard to keep Him the main thing. It takes intentionality, determination, diligence and vigilance.
Actually, these days, it is hard to keep any one thing our central concern – other than, say, our ego and our pursuit of pleasure and/or comfort.
We live in an age when it is exceedingly easy to fall into distractedness and a lack of any sustained focus.
In this respect, October is a particularly distracting month. Its typically wonderful weather lures the “outdoorsy” of us into activities that can leave us with less time for matters of higher priority. With football in full swing again, and with baseball’s post-season and the start of the World Series, it tempts the sports fans among us to major in the minors of life. With the approach of Halloween – the “holiday” on which Americans spend more money than any other except Christmas! – we can, without even noticing it, get caught up “in the thick of thin things”.
Moreover, as is true of every month in this digital age – with social media, endless streaming movies and shows to watch, and every possible option for entertainment – it is easier than ever to grow preoccupied with what does not satisfy our deepest soul and grow inattentive to what is of ultimate significance.
We must therefore deliberately and resolutely fight against the cultural influences that keep us from keeping God our main thing. We must make every effort to center ourselves upon God – by regularly participating in the worship of His people, by keeping up in our giving and serving, by staying faithful to our mutually supportive friendships in Christ, and by continually expressing our gratitude for the God who loves us just as we are and loves us too much to leave us that way.
May our holy and good God give us the grace to keep the main thing the main thing!
After all, as Isaiah prayed (in Is. 26:3, in the King James translation), “Thou wilt keep them in perfect peace, whose minds are stayed on thee!”
Warmly in Christ,
Pastors Adele & Rob Langworthy
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