In my years of being a pastor I have seen many different types of people.  It seems for every person I have met there is a  different view on life.  One of the things that interest me most is the view people hold on what matters most in life.  I am interested in this because this reveals their focus and focus reveals who they are.

One warning I would give all people is not to lose sight of the best thing for a focus upon good things.  It is so easy to lose sight of what is really important in life.  So many good things are coming at us that it can be easy to be distracted.  I would guess many if I were to ask people are they focused on the best thing the would probably say that they are.

As a pastor maybe I see things differently.  I see that the majority of people in our culture are not focused on what is best but rather are focused on good things.  What is the difference between the good and the best?  Is it a matter of opinion?  Can the best thing for me not be the best thing for someone else?  These question are legitimate questions and need to be answered.

Question # 1–What is the difference between good and the best?                                                                                           Good things are just that, they are good things.  There is nothing inherently wrong with them at all.  They are good but that is all they are.  The description of them reveals that there is something better, that the best is yet to come.  The difference is quite noticeable.  There are many good things yet there is only one that is best.  It is the best because it is superlative to everything else.  Its very nature is better than everything else.  The difference between them is huge and it is not a matter of semantics.

Question # 2–Is what is good and best a matter of opinion?                                                                                                      No, it is not a matter of opinion. We live in a culture were absolutes are rejected and opinions are celebrated but when it comes what is best it is not an opinion but an absolute.  Again the very nature of what is best defines it.  The nature of what is best is revealed by history, by nature, by time itself.  What is good again is not bad it is just that it is not the best.  If opinion is removed the best can be sought and experienced.

Question # 3–Can what is best for me not be what is best for you?                                                                                         This is not a question on what diet might be best for you or what soda you might like best.  This is a question about what is life’s best focus.  Therefore all those who seek to live the best life possible must be focused upon that which is best.  Not merely what is best for me or what is best for you but simply what is best.  Remember the very nature of what is best demands that it is the best for all.  So what is best for me is best for you and what is best for you is best for me.

    There are many good things but only one thing that is the best.  So what is the best?  Church? Family? Ministry? Work? Money? House? Car? Sports?  Perhaps each one of these are good but none of them are the best.  If you spent your life pursuing any one of these at the end of your life chances are you will be left with nothing.  They are good but there is no promise that any one of these things will allow you to experience the best.  Church is good but there is something better.  Family is good but once again there is something better. I propose to you that in order for something to be the best it must have a promise that comes with it.  Going to church promises nothing.  Seeking to have a family gives no guarantees.  Money, houses, cars, hobbies, or careers do not give promises of a better life.  The only thing that any one of these promise is the pursuit of better life but never the capture of a better life.  So what is the best?

The best is the one thing that promises more than life.  It is the one thing that promises an abundant life.  Not just life but an abundant life.  Jesus told us that He came not just to give life but to give life more abundantly.  It is this promise that reveals Him as the best.  Why? Because the best life is not something that we had to pursue to no avail but rather the best life is something that the Best One gave to us as He pursued us.  The Best is Jesus Christ!

You may have many good things in your life but there is only one that is the best.  If you keep your eyes focused upon Him he will add these other things to you.  Matthew 6:33 “But seek you first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”  Do not lose sight of what is best in pursuit of what is good.  Family cannot come first or it will be lost.  Ministry cannot come first or it will be forfeited.  He must come first.