Hub of Your Life

What is it that occupies the center of your life? Your spouse, your children, your job, your emotions, money, things, fun, friends, or God? Are you seeking first God's kingdom and God's righteousness? If God is the center of your life, He promises to take care of supplying everything you need.

Presented by Paul Luecke
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - August 16, 2008 (59 minutes)

Download Video: Broadband | Dial-up
Download Audio: MP3

Sermon Transcript

While out in the western part of the United States — in Wyoming — just a few weeks ago, you begin to see a familiar sight as you are driving around out west — the wagon wheel — because that is kind of a symbol of the pioneer movement — one of the nice pieces of history of this nation. And you see a lot of wagon wheels decorating people's front yards and, actually, some of them still in use. But anyway, for the sermon this morning, it would actually help if you had a diagram of the wagon wheel in your notes. If you are taking notes and you like to have an illustration to help as we go along. This particular wheel has a hub and that is an important feature of the wheel — a hub and eight spokes. So for the purpose of this particular sermon, a wheel with a hub and eight spokes would be helpful. The rim is not quite as important although if you don't have it, it will be a rough ride on a wagon. So you can put that in if you want to.

The hub represents the center of your life — in other words the most important part of your life. As you are living it, the hub — the center of the wheel — represents the center of your life as you are actually living it. Think about that for a minute. What is it that occupies the center of your life? Do have to think about that for a minute? When we are talking about something that occupies the center of our life there are two important facts to take note of.

Number one: Something does occupy the center of our life. It can't be a vacuum, it can't be a void. Something is there. It is at the center of your life. It is the most important part of your life — the way you are living your life. It is whatever your life centers around.

The second fact is that it is only one thing. It is impossible for there to be two hubs in a wheel — which the wheel revolves around. There is one center. Whatever it is may actually be different for you than somebody else in this room. What is it that is the center of your life for you?

First I would like to jot down the main areas of typical peoples lives in what could be possible centers. In other words, you look at the common person today and what could be possible centers of an individual's life, or a possible center of different individuals lives. I would like to give you nine possible centers a person could have. Yes, there could be more but for the sake of simplicity and these I believe are the most common.

One would be spouse. A spouse is a possible center of a person's life.

Two would be children — A person's children.

Or it could be number three: Money. Some people's lives revolve around money. It is the center of their life.

Or, related to this, number four: a job or work — job, work or career.

Or it could be number five: possessions or stuff — things.

Or it could be number six: fun and recreation. That is the center of some people's lives.

Or it could be number seven: friends and social life.

Or it could be number eight: self or emotions. By that I mean self-esteem.

Or it could be number nine: God. That is one of the possible centers.

Any one of these can be the hub or the center of a person's life. Now what is interesting is: whatever the hub is, all the others then are spokes. Everything else then is a spoke radiating out from the center and all the other possible centers, all these other areas, are spokes that revolve around the center of one's life.

Now let's take it a step further: What would be the results of a person having each of these different centers or individuals having these different centers? What I would like to do now is go through the different possible centers of a person's life and just illustrate briefly what would be the results if you have that as the center of your life in terms of the others being spokes and revolving around it. Now I will just give a few examples for each. I will not give all of the eight spokes for every possible center because there is not time.

So let's start with number one — Spouse: For the person whose spouse in the center of their life — of course their spouse is the most important thing in life. Everything else is a spoke around that center. For example: money is one of the spokes and when it comes to money the number one need for money is to have it for your mate. In order to buy gifts; in order to build a glamorous, wonderful life together with your mate; but if financial setbacks should occur — that is why some have resorted to theft in order to keep their spouse happy; to make their spouse happy because their life revolves around their spouse.

Another spoke is self and if the spouse is the center of one's life then when it comes to self, well, the person's self-worth comes predominantly from the mate. Their identity, their value, comes predominantly from their mate who is the center of their life and if their mate is satisfying their emotional and physical needs of fulfillment and encouragement, all is well. Life is nice, but if he or she fails to fulfill those needs life itself becomes miserable because that was the center of their life.

Col. 3:19 — this is why the apostle Paul wrote this, seemingly off the wall almost, a statement:

Col. 3:19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.

That's like two ends of the spectrum: love your wives on the one hand and on the other hand he says "do not be bitter toward them". Now why would he say this? Well, for one thing, it ties in with the commands that God gives to husbands and wives and the respective instructions which boil down essentially to what becomes some of the most difficult responsibilities to fulfill either as a husband or wife.

When it comes to the man, the husband, it is not natural; it is not in human nature to love selflessly, unconditionally, that imperfect person. And so, becoming bitter can happen and it does happen especially when the spouse is the center of a man's life. So this is speaking to the men here but if his wife is the center of his life and she is not reciprocating with what he feels he is giving and she is not giving him back all that he feels that she should, and she could, and he deserves, and she is the center of his life, it is easy to become bitter. Many men become bitter in marriage. Many, if not most divorces, are preceded by bitterness. So there is a special responsibility put on the man's part to be sure that he avoids at all costs bitterness.

If spouse is the center of a person's life, one of the spokes is God. God is a spoke. When it comes to God — He is good and He is gracious because He has provided you with your spouse and He is good and gracious as long as he keeps protecting your mate. But if He doesn't heal him or her of a disease or an injury, God is not so good and if God should allow one's mate to die when he or she was the center of life, God becomes an enemy — an enemy that it cannot understand.

Let's go on to another possible center — number two: Children. There are many people today who have at the center of their life their children. Not their spouse and none of the others, but children are actually the center of their life. In fact the others all being the spokes, spouse is one of the spokes and spouse takes a back seat to children if children are the center of one's life. Children come first and if one's spouse, if he or she treats your children harshly or neglects to do something for them then that spouse becomes an unwelcome house guest because children come first.

One thing that has separated millions of husbands and wives even if they do continue living under the same roof is ignoring God's command of leaving father and mother and being welded to your spouse, not to your children. God does not say you need to become welded or to cleave to your children. Yes, there is to be that love there and to fulfill the instructions God says — the responsibility to our children, but the one He says to become welded to, to cleave to for life, is our spouse not children. Our children are to leave us. They are to leave mom and dad's marriage domain when they are ready to go and cleave to a mate of their own and so that (in a sense the cart before the horse) has separated millions of husbands and wives.

God is one of the spokes when children are the center of life and such the children's wishes are likely to be given higher priority than God's wishes. This is common. I've seen this in the church where parents who, wanting so much to please their children, let their children do whatever they want, even if it is clear that that is not really according to God's values or even His law, sometimes. And once again: if God doesn't heal a child then He can become an enemy when children are at the center and God is a spoke.

Number three — another possible center is money. Again, many people have at the center of their life money. One of the spokes could be the children, the spouse — I will just say family now — and the family being one of the spokes — the individual will neglect attention to their family, to their spouse and children, assuming everyone will understand that financial concerns come first. Money is what is important. Everybody should understand that so they will neglect their family for that. The spouse is necessary for financial security: to maintain the house; to bring in more income. Disagreements over money have led to many divorces.

It reminds me of this man up in North Dakota who obviously had money at the center of his life — this is some years ago that I heard this story. There was a country fair and a farmer took his wife to the country fair and the farmer was fascinated by the airplane rides that they were given and at that time the airplane rides were open cockpit but the price was $20 and the money-pinching farmer kind of balked at the price.

So the pilot said: Alright, let's make a deal. If you and your wife can ride without making a single sound then the ride will be free, I won't charge you any thing, otherwise you will pay the $20, and the farmer said: You've got a deal. So they got in; they took off and after they landed the pilot said: I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't been there myself. You didn't make a sound. Well, it wasn't easy, said the farmer. I almost yelled when my wife fell out. So she fell out but that money, that $20 — I don't think that really happened but you never know!

God is a spoke when money is at the center of one's life and as a spoke, radiating out from that center; God is good as long as decent money is coming in. In fact God may even deserve the tithe and offerings at times, but take away the money and God is no longer so good and it becomes hard for the person to tithe. It becomes hard for the person to give offerings. It becomes hard for the person to share with others.

Let's go on to the next possible center of a person's life: job or work. One type of individual here whose center of his life is job or work, or her life, is the workaholic. Now not all people who have job or work or career at the center of their life are workaholics but one type is the workaholic. The work is at the sacrifice for everything: health, family, God, etc. — working non stop except to sleep. It becomes a cycle that reminds you of an addict, a drug— or alcohol addict who just has to keep doing it.

And when it comes to spouse being one of the spokes — again marriages have been ruined because the spouse doesn't share the same vision of work; the same ideals or passion for work, for job, for this career or because he or she doesn't put in enough hours or effort to help with the work. Some men have said to their wives: Well, if you ever want to see me you know where you can find me. I will be at work. Anytime you want to talk, anytime you want to see me, spend some time with me, you know where I am. I am at work.

Self is also one of the spokes and with job, career, work, at the center of life the person's fundamental identity comes from work, from their work. The person would tend to say: I'm a machinist; I'm a technician; I'm nurse; that is who I am; that is what I am; that is my identity; that is my life; I am a teacher; because their identity, their sense of worth are wrapped up in their work and their security becomes threatened by anything that jeopardizes them continuing their work.

Isaiah 58:13 — Even the church which would be a spoke as well, you could add, church life or the church — Church often gets in the way of work for the person whose center of life is their work. The Church can get in the way of that. It is a burden to attend services because many people have drained themselves entirely into their work all through the week and have nothing left by the end of the week and no desire to attend services and no energy and besides that the people at Church don't have enough in common with their career interest or their work interest and so it's just not interesting to them. God says:

Isaiah 58:13 If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, in other words turn away your foot from trampling upon the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight — It is interesting here: God says we are to actively call the Sabbath a delight. In other words it does not just become a delight by osmosis or by default or automatically or maybe in spite of us doing nothing to prepare for it, nothing about it, some Sabbaths just turn out to be one: a delight. God says: Call the Sabbath a delight. That is something intentional, deliberate and active on our part. We are to call it that and that implies we are to do some preparation in advance through the week to ensure that it is going to be a delight. It doesn't become that by automatic default.

The holy day of the Lord honourable, — we asked if work is the center of your life — then the Sabbath does not seem honourable. For them it seems like a burden. It seems like an interruption of what's really interesting in their life: and that is their work, their career, their job, — and shall honour Him, not doing your own ways, — that does include plying one's trade, their normal course of work of the week. — Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words , — and I think we do let down on that one some times on the Sabbath. God says even our speech needs to be different; not just our normal speech of the week. That would be trampling on the Sabbath if even our words are just the same as through the week.

God is also one of the spokes when work is the center of life and for many there's simply is not time to spend in prayer or Bible study or fasting. That person might say: It is unrealistic to expect that of a real working man or a real career woman. Maybe that is fine for people with lots of time on their hands and not enough work to do but for us real workers you can't expect prayer and study on a regular basis. God is a spoke — a relationship with God that is a spoke and for a lot of people God is like being in the briefcase. It is something that they bring out if they need it and when they need it — they open up the briefcase if they need Him or God is in the back pocket, like a credit card. If they need Him, they will call Him. They will pull Him out and petition Him

for what they need at the moment. Maybe it is a taxi that they need; maybe they are called upon to work on a Sabbath or something; or their job is threatened; or there is a trial going on at work — so maybe they will call on God then because then they need it; or they need a better job, so then they will get God out of the briefcase and they call upon Him. Or for different occupations God may be kept in the barn and they will take Him out if they need Him; or He is in the toolbox. If they need Him they know where He is. He is in the toolbox and they will get Him out. Some may say: Well, when I get all my work in order then I am going to spend more time on my spiritual life — fatal spiritual flaw to think like that.

Let's go on to another possible center: possessions, otherwise known as things or stuff. Self is a spoke if a person's goal is in life to acquire nicer stuff, nicer things, nicer clothes, nicer cars, nicer jewellery, more electronic toys, a nice home. If that is the persons goal in life, that is an extremely fragile center, an extremely wrong center because their life will be constantly in a state of threat; trying to obtain these things. Plenty of people who have even committed suicide when they lost a lot of money on the stock market or somebody with more stuff than them, they come around and they begin to feel inferior. The church and involvement in it is a spoke; God, the relationship with God is; as such the church may be a good opportunity to show off one's stuff or worth to others. Or the Church could be a hindrance. Think what that extra 10% could have bought if I had it.

1 Timothy 6:5 — There were some in the church in the first century Paul was writing about to Timothy, and I don't think it ended with the first century. I think it has always been a problem amongst some in the church through all ages. I don't think it will be any less than the one we live in, which is the most materialistic age in society that's ever been upon the face of the earth.

1 Timothy 6:5 I will brake into the thought and sentence here: useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. Another word for godliness would be religion. They supposed that their religious practices, the religious side of their life — for them that is a means of gain. That is the way of getting ahead financially. There are people in the world in the modern popular Christianity world who go to church because it is a good business practise. There are many people who do that. It is good business to be seen attending church. A number of businessmen go to church for that reason, but Paul is writing about people in the church or at least who are attending the church. He said they are destitute of the truth. Probably some of those who are those among us but not of us, as it said elsewhere, but their life really revolves around gain, financial or material gain.

V.6 — Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

Let's go on to the next center: Fun; entertainment. Family is a spoke — spouse, children are spokes — and as long as the family supports one's interest and pastimes the marriage may be good. There are some decent marriages out there because they both, primarily because they both have the same entertainment or fun values and they share those, and that is their life. Now if one's spouse or children make it hard for them to have their fun they become resented and there are problems.

It is like the rodeo that we had up in Bismarck, North Dakota. That is one of the world's biggest rodeo championships every year and several years ago — it is always sold out, long in advance it is always sold out — but there was an empty seat at the rodeo and a guy who was wandering around at the bleachers said it was kind of surprising to see an empty seat for this rodeo, the hottest ticket in town, and the man said well, I can explain that. You see my wife and I bought tickets together for this rodeo months ago, and since then she died. And the man said he was sorry, sad to hear that, couldn't you bring a friend, and the man said no, they are all at the funeral. So the most important thing to him was his pastime, rodeo, he's got to make the rodeo. Again, that didn't really happen.

Church is a spoke; God and the church. One thing: Church can be hindrance to having all the fun a person could have if they didn't have to attend services. They could be fishing; they could be out riding; going to the movies, dancing, games, concerts, and for some that is a struggle because church is in the way of that.

Let's go on to another center: Friends and social life. One's friends and social life could be the center of their life. Family is a spoke — spouse, children are spokes and they can get in the way of one's friends or to be seen as interfering in their friendships which are more important than that. Self is a spoke and for them the opinion near of others, the opinion near of society is what determines their self worth. A person may say: Today I am doing fine because I have got the right labels on my clothes and I am friends with this popular person so I am doing fine. Or, I need to get better carpeting and repaint the house before I dream of having those people over; I wouldn't think of having those people over until I get a new couch; until I do this or do that; I'd die if they saw my house now.

Luke 10:40 — A very interesting contrast between these two sisters, Mary and Martha. It is interesting really to think about those two sisters and to analyze, really what makes them different? What is the difference in their thinking, you might say, the center of their lives? There is a difference in what occupies the center of those two sister's lives.

Luke 10:40 I will brake into the story here: But Martha was distracted with much serving, — here's God, the Creator, on the earth. Here is the One who created us and all the trees and the whole world and He is in your living room and He is speaking and to her the most important thing was slicing up the kiwi-fruit to look really pretty, etc. It says: she was distracted with much serving. Sure it is good to serve. Trying to serve food is good and all of that but Christ plainly said she was distracted with much serving, in other words it was unnecessary. What she was going through was unnecessary especially when God is in the living room, speaking.

V.41 — And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.

V.42 — But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

She had a different orientation as to what was important in life. Church is a spoke — I'm tossing that in here I guess not originally as one of the eight or the nine spokes, but I think it is good to mention it at times, but socially centerd people tend to value larger congregations and devalue small congregations because numbers of people, social life, is what is most important. You know what is interesting is when you go back to before 1995 when we had many more people, it is interesting that congregations of 500 didn't keep them all in the Church. If it was so important that congregations had to be big to be vital and vibrant and thriving then why didn't those congregations of 300 to 500 keep all those members in the Church? In some cases 95% of them left the Church. Winnipeg, Manitoba, which I pastored before coming here, before the split, was 1000 people. One thousand people in that town in the Church. When I was pastoring, 25 — that is about where it is now: 25 maybe 30.

The Feast of Tabernacles: gatherings of 10,000 or more at a feast site. It didn't keep them all in the Church. SEP summer camps which went 3 weeks long and thousands of teenagers — again they value their social life very highly; social life is important — but it became too important really at the expense of other things. That didn't keep all those teenagers in the church. Where are they all? So for a socially centerd person the Church is something that can be valued as long as friends are there or as long as friends are still there, or as long as it offers hope of providing friends or even a mate, then the Church is valued.

God is a spoke when social life is at the center of life and frankly when it comes to God, friend's opinions are more important than God's opinions and one may easily compromise God's law, for example the Sabbath, sexual laws, honouring parents, and others, under peer-pressure because what friends think is more important, ultimately, than what God thinks.

The next center is self, or one's own emotions being the center of life — the most important thing. This is a very, very common center. Many people have as the center of their life self; self-worth or their emotions. It is like the Dead Sea. It takes in but it doesn't give out. It becomes stagnant and with self at the center of one's life everything else has to be fit around that: spouse, money, job, work, possessions, fun, pleasure, friends, church, God. Everything must fit around the individual's wants and fulfillment.

It is like John who is on a date with Jane — actually on the phone, on the telephone, and they were talking but he was trying to get her on a date with her and he was going on and on and on about what a wonderful guy he was. He said: Yes, I know a lot about baseball and football; I was also captain of our basketball team; I drive race cars and motorcycles; I can swim and dance; I am sure you will have a wonderful time going out on a date with me; I am also a great conversationalist. Jane finally got a word in edgewise and she said: Would you happen to have a group photograph of yourself? I figure that one is priceless.

Another possible center is God. Yes, God is one of the many possible centers a person could have — what their life revolves around. With God at the center of a person's life, you have the example of Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Esther, the Apostles, the individuals in the Bible.

It is interesting to compare now all the spokes that are revolving around the center: Spouse is a spoke and yes, spouse is not the center of life nor should be. But if God is the center of life spouse comes second. Spouse is a spoke, a very big and important spoke; second. As a husband, because God is at the center of your life, you love your wife unconditionally even when it is underserved; even when you think it is undeserved because God first loved us and He tells husbands to do so. As a wife, if God is the center of your life, you submit to your husband as God describes because Christ does [submit] to the Father and He sees it as a very beautiful thing in a woman's character and, out of wanting to please God, you are driven by that. You see your marriage as an opportunity to serve God better as a team than alone, as one. God is the center of life. You look at your marriage as a team that can serve God better.

Luke 14:26 In this section on counting the cost Christ made it plain. He said: "If anyone comes to Me and does not — the Greek word is meseo: by comparison love less — "his father and mother, wife and children," and of course husband would be included, spouse in other words. " ....brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

With God at the center of one's life and having a mate — if the husband or wife should leave you or should become injured or gravely ill, or die, you are willing to give him or her up because you are trusting God. You are trusting God's judgment for your life and for your mates' because you have put Him first. He is at the center of your marriage.

1 Corinthians 7:32 to 35 — Now there is a context to this passage: Part of the context was the fact that at this time earlier in the apostle Paul's writings he believed Christ was returning in their life-time, in his life-time. His writings later made it clear he understood that it was not going to be in their life-time. He would die — he died as a martyr — other would too and Christ would come later but at this earlier time this was part of the context and the reason he said some things that he did because of the urgency of the time.

1 Corinthians 7:32 But I want you to be without care . By that he means pre-occupation. I want you to be without being pre-occupied. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord — how he may please the Lord.

So at this particular time he was saying there is actually an advantage to being unmarried. You can focus entirely on the things that please God or serving God.

V.33 But he who is married cares about the things of the world— how he may please his wife. And that is good and right. The Bible tells us we are to care about how to please our spouse but the apostle Paul is just saying there is an advantage to not being married in that you have more time and focus to focus it all on the time dedicated to God. In other words — I am going to skip to:

V.35 — And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.

And then in the next verse he actually explains it is fine to marry especially for the younger. There is a translation issue to make that more clear than it is in our translations here, but that is another point. Anyway, what is said here is that it is a normal human tendency to put one's mate first. To even make an idol of the pursuit of a mate is a human tendency. And to set God aside and pursue a mate instead — that is a human tendency.

Children are one of the spokes and as such, with God at the center of life, you want to bring them up as godly offspring. It says in Malachi 2:15 He desires godly seed, godly offspring and so you are wanting to do everything you can to raise them as godly offspring. You don't care what the world thinks; you don't care what are popular trends in society; and all that. God says in Deuteronomy 6 that when you get up, through the day, when you are walking, all the time you are to talk about God and teach them of God's truth. Everything you do with them is still centerd around God. Actually every game you play, everything you teach them is still centerd around God.

Another spoke is money. With God at the center when it comes to money, you see that everything is God's. Everything is His. He claims 10% of it to be returned to him, and you trust Him with the remainder and the God-centered person manages his money by God's principles, as law. When money is tight it is a chance to grow in faith. When money is more generous it is by God's mercy. Again everything centers around God.

1 Timothy 6:17 — The apostle Paul said to the minister Timothy in what to teach the members that he was responsible for. He said: Command those who are rich in this present age — in the Church, in the context of the Church. Some are rich. Some have much more than others and he is not saying that is wrong but this is a special trial and test that comes with having wealth, too. Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, — it is more difficult to do that when you have plenty of money, — who gives us richly all things to enjoy, — comma,

V.18 — to do good , as it should go on. This is a listing of the things that God gives us richly, all things for the purpose of enjoying; It is to do good with , that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share,

V.19 — storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Another spoke is job. Job and career is a spoke. It is not the center of life — God is. Your job is important because of what God says about providing for family especially the responsibility He assigns to the husband. It is a responsibility to provide for his family.

Ephesians 4:28 — It talks about working to provide your income, to take care of yourself, so somebody else doesn't have to do that; if you can do that, when you can do that. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labour, working with his hands what is good,... It needs to be a legal endeavour; it should be something that is good and not questionable; not in violation of God's values, .... that he may have something to give him who has need.

So with God at the center, part of our purpose of having a job is to provide for not only our own expenses and needs but to have something to share with other peoples as God says, and also to be able to contribute to the financial support of God's work. You see that as important and as a privilege. Also, if God is the center of life, at work you are an excellent employee because of what God says about work ethics and what He says about how to work under someone and how to set a good example to others.

Possessions are another spoke revolving around God at the center. Possessions are to be used to please God with; to share with others; to benefit God's Church. Possessions are not seen as something completely and entirely for our own benefit, for our own pleasure.

Proverbs 3:9 Honour the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase;

V.10 — So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

It is a living law. If we are sharing, giving, because God is at the center of our life, He will bless us with plenty.

Another spoke is fun and pleasure and yes, it is one of the spokes, it should be there. It is not an option — we should have diversions in our life and you use it as a diversion, to refresh the mind. Fun and pleasure, recreation, can help you bond even closer with your mate, with your children, with your family, your parents, with your brethren in the church.

Another spoke is social life — friends and social life — and as such your deepest friendships will be those who are also walking with God. Your deepest friendships are those who also have God at the center of their life. Birds of a feather will flock together.

Another spoke is self — self identity; emotions; or primarily concerning self. First of all, we want to bury that at baptism and after that it is no longer my will but God's will.

Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself . It is not my emotional satisfaction that is the most important thing.

V.4 — Let each of you look out not only for his own interest, but also for the interests of others.

Hebrews 10:25 I am going to add this spoke again in here — Church. Church is a spoke. I think it is good to make that distinction. Church is different than God when it comes down to what is the actual center of your life. Church life is a spoke if God is at the center — it is an important one, but it is a spoke. You see the Church as, in the terminology of the Bible, the mother of us all; your source of spiritual instruction, nourishment: it takes a high priority in life because of how God views it. It is Christ's very body, so it is important.

Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some,... starting in the first century — already this became a trend among some in the Church, to abandon or to avoid assembling on the Sabbath if they could, ... but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Since God is the center of life and you see this as God's will, Church is a high priority and there are other areas of life that must be subservient to it because of what God says.

Leviticus 23:2 also says these are commanded convocations, holy convocations. The first is the Sabbath and then all the Holy Days. These are priorities that you have in life when God is at the center and your priorities go from the center out. As you get to the outside you have more peripheral areas that are less important.

Matthew 6:33 This should be one of our memory verses: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, — both of those — and all these things shall be added to you.

God would take care of supplying everything we need if we are doing our part and the very first thing we seek in life, is God's kingdom and God's righteousness, in other words, if God is the center of our life. So actually God here has shown us how to structure even our overall schedule. What is first? We must make time in our daily schedule for seeking His kingdom and His righteousness. That comes down to prayer and study. We must make time.

V.24 — "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. — Two examples from our wagon wheel. You can't have two hubs, two centers. One will be a center; everything else will be a spoke. There can only be one center in your life. What is it, really?

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

V.22 — Many will say to Me in that day, — we like to think the verse says "few"; we would like to rewrite it to say "few" and ultimately that very, very few will miss out. Christ said: Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'

There is no reason to assume they were lying. They probably did do those things.

V.23 — And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"

O.K., so you did those things, but your life, the way you lived your life was not with God at the center. You had other things at the center of your life.

If God is not the real center of our life we are actually living in idolatry and this is where we can ask God to show us our secret faults. As David said in Psalm 19:12: show me my secret faults. Where we are otherwise minded — Philippians 3:15 — if we are otherwise minded God will show even this to us.

Jeremiah 29:11 Again, this passage has a context and yet the principle applies to us always. God says: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

V.12 — Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

Will we really do that? God says He will hear us.

V.13 — And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Our whole heart has to be putting Him first; not just a pocket of our heart, a corner of it, one of the spokes of our wheel, but our whole heart — all our heart.

Now is our chance to become God-centerd. By being alive yet another day God gives us the opportunity to demonstrate what the center of our life is. If it isn't God, He is giving us the chance by being alive another day, to move Him from being one of the spokes in our life, to the hub. Let's make God the center of our lives and always keep Him there.