Good but not Great

You are listening to a message from Thrive Community Church, a church located in Southwest Florida. For more info, visit us at thrive-fl.org. Welcome to Thrive. It's good to have you online this morning with us. It's great to be a family even though we are socially distancing this morning again. I think it's time to pray. Let's do so. Lord God, this day is yours again. We thank you. Even during a time where we are socially isolated and some things have been reduced or removed from our lives, we pray, Lord, that you would be with us. We especially lift up to you all the health care workers in our midst, Lord, who are serving in such high, intense ways right now. We pray, Lord God, that you'd fill them, that you would protect them, that you provide for them, that you help us to thank them in a variety of ways. We pray, Lord, too, that you would be working in their lives today, that you would help them, Lord, grow closer to you in the midst of this pandemic. Lord God, we lift up to you our national and statewide leaders, and we pray for your wisdom to be upon them as they lead through this pandemic. We pray that you would work in them your will and your ways. And for so many who are serving us in this world and in our community, Lord, for people in the grocery stores as they are checking us out and shelving the food, as those who are moving and transporting the food throughout this country, those who are essential farm workers, our pharmacists, our gas attendants, our sanitation workers, Lord, so many who are essential to the way our community runs, and we pray that you would protect them and keep them in your care and work. We pray for those who are unemployed now, Lord, the millions across our nation. We pray, Lord, that you provide for them day after day, that you give them hope at this time. For those who are sick, for those with coronavirus and those who are sick or ill during this time, Lord, that proper medical care is given, that you are working through all of those things. And finally, for this world, Lord, that your kingdom comes and your will is done here on earth as it is in heaven. All of this we lift up to you today and pray that your spirit would be working through the message today to fill us with your hope, your clarity, your passion, your direction, and so that we see this world and this time through your eyes, Lord God. All this we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. We are in a new series today called Spring Cleaning, Making Room for Jesus. And as we're going through this, I thought of an illustration that seems, in some ways, not at all related. And yet I think you'll find out how it really ties in. This was an illustration from a book by Stephen Covey. I think it was the book First Things First. And in it, he talked about a professor who brought in a glass jar into his classroom to his students. And he sat it down in front and he looked at his students. He was talking about time management. And he explained this illustration to them and shared it with them. And he said, OK, is this jar full? And the student said, no, it's empty. And so he came to the side. He had a bag full of rocks the size of golf balls or a little larger. And he filled the jar up with these rocks. And then he asked the question, is this jar full? And the student said, yes, it's now full of rocks. But then he turned aside and he picked up a bag of smaller stones and he poured them into the jar, shook it down, got those small stones to fall into all the cracks and crevices around the bigger rocks, and then asked the question again, is this jar full? And the students started to go like, hmm, no, I don't think so. And he said, you're right. And he picked up a small jar of pea gravel, poured it into that jar, shook that pea gravel around and asked the question, is this jar full? And they answered, no, you're right. He said he picks up a bag of sand and he pours that on top and shakes that down again. And then he asked the question to his students, we're talking about time management. What is the point of this illustration? And one of the students shot up his hand and said, well, professor, there's always room for more. And the professor said, not quite. A lot of people think that that's the illustration, that's the answer to it. But he said, here's the point. If I didn't put the big rocks in first, they would have never fit. So today we start this series, making room for Jesus. And we're talking about putting the most important things in first into your life. Because if you don't, all the other things will crowd it out. And we're starting with a vignette of three different wannabe disciples of Jesus. As he is walking on his way to Jerusalem, there are three different encounters all capsulated into one short section of the Gospel of Luke in chapter nine. And you can follow along with this. And in this, they're basically asking the question of what's the best in life? What's the most important? And is that already in my life? Or have ...