What Really Matters in Life?

by Ron Hawkins • Published September 9, 2019

This is an important question, and one worth pondering. A great follow-up would be to ask: How much time do I give to what really matters? I don’t know about you, but I suspect I spend far less time on what really matters and far more than I realize (or would like to admit) on lesser things.

Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life and Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church, has four file folders on his computer screen, where he stores different ideas and tasks. The first one is labeled: What does God want me to do? The second: What do people I love need me to do?  Third: What do I want to do? And finally: What do other people want me to do?

Which folder do think might have the most items in it? According to Warren, it is number four: What do other people want me to do? I bet that is true for most of us, as well. Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t do things for others, but if we’re spending most of our time doing things in the fourth folder at the expense of the other three—well, that’s a problem. The second folder, What do people I love need me to do? certainly needs our attention. And number three, What do I want to do?, has its place, as well.

But the first one—What does God want me to do?—is the one that should get our best time, our greatest energy, and our laser-focus. This September we are walking through the second chapter of 1 Peter in a four-part series titled “What Really Matters.” Together, we’ll be exploring four elements that influence our formation as Jesus followers: Jesus, Calling, Missions, and Community.

We believe these four themes are crucial as we become, in increasing measure by God’s grace, the people Christ Jesus desires as well as a community to which others are drawn.

We hope you’ll join us as we worship the One worthy of our adoration and consider together what really matters.

Ron Hawkins served as Transition Pastor at CPC from 2019-2020.