The Most Important Question
What do you think of when you hear this topic?
Maybe it’s, Who should I marry, What career should I pursue or Where should I live? Maybe you are thinking about if/when to have children? If so, how many? And how should we raise them? Or maybe you are in the empty nest stage of life like my husband and I and are wondering, when should we retire? And where to?
While these are important questions that will certainly affect our quality of life, the most important question is greater than these. The MOST important question all of humanity needs to answer is:
WHAT WILL I DO ABOUT JESUS?
Will I accept Him or reject Him? Will I invite Him to be Lord of my life or will I be the lord of my life? Will I surrender to His plan for my life or will I follow my own way?
Our answer to these questions will determine not only how we live our lives on earth, but more importantly where we will spend eternity.
Jesus asked a lot of questions during his earthly ministry. In fact, when I look at all the red letters on the pages of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, I am amazed at how he used questions to relate to others. He of course knew the answers to the questions he asked. He was God, after all.
But asking questions allows someone to pause; to think; to ponder. When we are asked a question, we aren’t being told what to do or what to think. We are given an opportunity to be silent; to wrestle through it.
One question Jesus asked his disciples is in Matthew 16. Jesus had taken his disciples outside of the city, away from distractions to ask this question:
“Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets”. He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” v. 13-15
Peter spoke up and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” v. 16.
Peter got it. He knew. He didn’t have to think too hard. He had been with Jesus; he had experienced life with Him. He had no doubts.
And it is this question that is still being asked today. So, I ask you:
Who do you say Jesus is? Is He your God? Is He Lord of your life?
Your answer will determine where you spend eternity AND how you spend the rest of your time on earth. It doesn’t matter how we have thought of Jesus before this moment, or how many years we have wasted going our own way. What matters is how we will answer this question today.
If we follow Christ, the answer to this question helps us to keep our priorities in line: how we spend our time and our money; what we do with our skills and abilities; what we watch; what we listen to; how we interact with others.
If we follow Christ, we want others to have the same joy, peace, eternal hope, purpose, etc. that God gives to us. We want to know that when our loved ones take their last breath in this life, it won’t be the last time that we see them. We want to know that we will see them again in heaven one day. It should drive us to tell others about what we have been given. It should lead us to be bold and share the gospel with a stranger, a coworker, or a family member.
This is my prayer for me and it’s my prayer for you.
Being a Christ follower is not about keeping a list of dos and don’ts. It’s not about the tradition that you grew up in. It’s not about trying to do more good things than bad. Being a Christ follower begins with surrender. It’s acknowledging that we can’t be good enough or do enough good things to get into heaven on our own. We have to admit we are a sinner and ask Jesus to come and be Lord of our lives.
What will you do about Jesus? Who is He to you?
If you aren't sure how to answer these questions, watch this video from Francis Chan to think more deeply about it...
Are you ready to make the life-giving decision to fully follow Jesus? Then, all you have to do is pray a simple prayer like this...
Dear Lord,
I admit that I am a sinner and have done many things that don’t please you. I have lived my life for myself only. I am sorry, and I repent. I ask you to forgive me.
I believe that you died on the cross for me, to save me. You did what I could not do for myself. I come to you now and ask you to take control of my life; I give it to you. From this day forward, help me to live every day for you and in a way that pleases you.
I love you, Lord, and I thank you that I will spend all eternity with you. Amen.
Angela Sutsakhan
Angela has been involved in women’s ministry for over 20 years, leading Bible study groups, mentoring, discipling, writing, and speaking. She is a graduate of Liberty University and Norfolk State University, earning a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Master's Degree in Education, with a concentration in Guidance and Counseling. She holds several life coach certifications from The American Association of Christian Counselors, including one in Mental Health Life Coaching. Encouraging others is the heart of who Angela is. She works as an educator and life coach and is the founder of New Perspective Ministries. Her desire is to help women align their thinking with God’s truth and to step into the purpose that God has for their lives. Angela has been married to Sid for 32 years and is mom to Ariana, 27 and Eli, 24. You can connect with her at www.newperspectiveministries.org.
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