Interested in the Insignificant
John 21:22
“Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.”
I find that the Apostle Peter was like most Christians. He often said or did things without thinking about the ramifications of his statement or actions. The statement above reveals the spirituality of the Apostle Peter before Jesus ascended. Jesus was trying to prepare the disciples for when He would go to Heaven. On the other hand, Peter asked Jesus about the man who betrayed him. Jesus responded by saying, “…what is that to thee?”
Peter’s problem was that he was interested in the insignificant things of life. Jesus wanted Peter to get interested in what was important and that was following Him. Peter was more interested in things and situations than he was interested in something that could literally change lives. It is interesting that when Peter stopped being interested in the insignificant and started getting interested in the important thing of following the LORD, that is when he saw the great blessings in his life.
You must be very careful about getting interested in the insignificant things in life. We are all guilty of becoming interested in the insignificant things and missing the most important things that are right in front of us. Our sinful human nature wants to get interested in knowing the insignificant because we think it will cause us to be the source of knowledge to which people will come. Somehow we think knowing the insignificant will give us stature in our world.
What most don’t see is that when you become interested in the insignificant, it causes you to miss the most important things of life. Peter was more interested in the insignificant when he should have been interested in Jesus’ presence. What he didn’t realize was that Jesus was about ready to ascend to Heaven, and with him interested in the insignificant he wasted time that he could have used to learn more from the Saviour.
Are you allowing the insignificant things in life to cause you to miss the most important things in your life? Are you missing the presence of your spouse because you are more interested in your preferences and hobbies? Are you missing your children because you are so busy with hobbies and making money? Are you missing the blessings of God in your church because you are listening to the gossip? One day when your spouse, children, parents or church is gone you will wish you had been more interested in what was truly important; their presence. Many people have lived a life of regret because they missed what was truly important in life.
Let me encourage you to not let the insignificant things in your life cause you to miss those who are around you. Don’t let the insignificant things destroy your relationships. Don’t let the insignificant things cause you to miss the presence of a spouse or child. Don’t let the insignificant things cause you to miss what God is doing in your church. Get interested in the LORD and people, and you will find that the insignificant things are truly insignificant and unworthy of your attention.