What Is Important

A few weeks ago, a chemical explosion in the port city of Tianjin, China killed more than a hundred people and destroyed over a billion dollars in property. It cost millions more in lost business and the long-term damage to the local population may never be known. To the people who were directly affected it was important, but it wasn’t a big deal in this country of 1.3 billion people and their massive economy.

A short time later the Chinese stock market crashed, and many fortunes were lost. Small investors lost everything, and larger investors were badly hurt. The government had urged people to invest in the stock market, after the real estate market tanked. The government tried to stabilize the collapsing market by investing billions, but the market continued to fall. With only 10% of the Chinese people invested in the stock market, the catastrophic failure didn’t seem that important, unless it was your life savings that was wiped out.

The Chinese government marked the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II with a military parade. They cleaned up the air to impress the foreign dignitaries attending their celebration. They shut down thousands of factories around Beijing for a week and severely restricted traffic coming into the city. Much of downtown Beijing was closed to the public. Businesses had to close, so people couldn’t work, and some people weren’t able to get to their downtown apartments the night before. All of that was for a parade that lasted just 70 minutes. National prestige was important, disrupting people’s lives wasn’t.

In a world of large numbers, it is easy to get lost. Compared to the masses, the individual just doesn’t seem that important. That’s not how JESUS sees us. Yes, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV) but He saves us one by one. He wants to be your personal Savior. You are not just part of the crowd; you are important to Him.

Wayne Lance (2015) – That’s Good News to Share!