Daily Word of Grace # 188 (December 3, 2020)

The late author and educator Stephen Covey is best known for his international 1989 bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People.  One of his most famous maxims is “the main is to keep the main thing the main thing.”  This is certainly the case when it comes to the gospel of God’s unconditional love.  God loves all of us unconditionally regardless of whether we are considered “highly successful” or “highly unsuccessful.”  Speaking for myself, it has often been the times when I have been highly unsuccessful when God’s love has been the most palpable.  The definitive expression of God’s unconditional love is the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to atone for the sins of the world and open the gate to everlasting life.  When it came to preaching this gospel the Apostle Paul certainly did so with a “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing” focus—as he wrote to the church at Corinth: “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom.  For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:1-2).  His myopic focus on God’s unconditional love in Jesus Christ also marked his personal life: “I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).  Even when you are highly unsuccessful and unable “to keep the main thing the main thing”, God’s unconditional love remains the main thing, and always will.

Love and Prayers,

Dave