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February 1, 2013
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I matter; my opinion - not so much!

If you are like me, you want to be relevant. I WANT to MATTER! Beyond that, I want to make an impact in people’s lives. I freely admit that I have NEVER gotten up in the morning and said, “Today, I wish to be completely irrelevant on every level.” Not me. Life’s too short for that.

Here’s what God is teaching me – and has been for a long time. HOW do I matter? In my “little world” the answer may surprise you. No, it is not preaching before hundreds (or more). No, it is not TV or position or influence publicly. That is a calling, and I love it, but that does not make me relevant.

We have this in common no matter how different our callings are. Mine is to be a Pastor/Teacher/Shepherd of a local church. Yours may be to be a teacher, businessman, homemaker, shop worker, or retiree. We have in common the desire to be relevant. The key question is – how do we do that? The biblical answer is to give our lives for the TRUTH.

Here’s the dilemma. We confuse OPINION with TRUTH. Not only are they NOT the same, they aren’t even close to equally important. I learned a long time ago that my opinion matters only to me, but truth matters to everyone. Therefore, I gave up on advancing my opinion completely and committed my life to advancing the TRUTH. That gives me relevance. Some people think relevance comes in advancing their opinion. It does not. Even further, God commands that we turn from our own opinion and embrace His TRUTH. It’s called “dying to self.” Yet, so many of us think that as Christians we “have the truth, so we need to speak.” NOT TRUE – GOD, and God alone, HAS THE TRUTH. So our calling is to advance HIS TRUTH. Speak HIS TRUTH!

Only in passing and with much hesitancy will I ever share my opinion. Two reasons – I have proven to myself so many times that I am very capable of being (often!) wrong. Also, my opinion matters far more to me that it does to anyone else on the planet, so I need to share my opinion mostly with the people that opinions matter to most – ME! Therefore, I talk to myself (kidding, or maybe not!).

Consider this – you have opinions – so do I – and they matter. But realize who they matter to most – YOU (or me!). What our friends need most, what others around us need most from us, is God’s TRUTH. You DO MATTER. God sent His Son to die for YOU! He redeemed you, loves you, cares for you and paid for your sins with the blood of His Son. You DO MATTER. But your (and my) opinion – not so much.

Our relevance in this world doesn’t depend on our opinion. Nobody else wants to hear it – they have one of their own. And God certainly doesn’t want to hear it – He already knows it and better yet, He already knows what is TRUTH regardless of our opinion. What makes us relevant is knowing and sharing His TRUTH!

So – what do I do? Know His TRUTH. Study His Word. Read His Word. That is TRUTH. Then – get relevant. Be more relevant. How? Tell others the TRUTH. Talk based on the TRUTH. Live based on the TRUTH – not your opinion.

Why? Because you ARE RELEVANT, to the degree that you share TRUTH. Your opinion – not so much.

For me – I want to matter. I want to be relevant. Therefore, I choose to live, know, and share TRUTH from God.

What is your choice?

Dr. Richard A. Powell
Senior Pastor





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