Is your priority list as ugly as mine?

I’ve been thinking about priorities lately because it seems the busier I get the harder it is to keep my priorities in order. We all have priorities in life,whether they be our children, our careers, our marriages, or the many relationships we have.

Some of us are exceptional at prioritizing(my wife,for example is amazing)while the rest of us, well….not so much. Maybe you can relate?

If you had to list your priorities in order of importance,what would your list look like? If you are a Christian then likely your list would look something like this:

• faith
• family
• career, etc…

Would this list be pleasing to God? Many times we get so focused on what’s important to us that we forget that God also has things He wants us to prioritize.Let’s look at something Jesus said about priorities.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Now don’t miss that. Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…..What does “seek first” mean? Well, no matter how you slice and dice it,it means that nothing else is more important.

In this verse Jesus just established a priority for you and I.Its priority number one.

According to Jesus,our lists do not come first. Whatever we may have at the top of our list of priorities does not belong there unless it lines up with Matthew 6:33. And this my friends is where the battle line is drawn.

 

 

This battle to prioritize our lives really comes down to who,or what, is most important to us: God or me.God or my spouse or kids.God or my career.

Is this life all about me,or is this life all about God and me on this journey together?

So…about those priorities. What’s made your priority list these days?

How about we look at mine first? I’ve been doing an honest assessment of my priorities these past few days.Brutally honest. And in the light of Matthew 6:33 I do not like what I’ve found.

Let me show you what’s made my priority list lately:

• Web surfing
• TV
• Sitting by the pool
• Fishing
• Eating
• More TV

Get the picture? Ugly,isn’t it? I’m the guy that used to say that complacency is killing the church,one drop at a time. Turns out I was right. Oh,and notice who’s missing from my list?

Since I’ve recently retired I could easily make the case for taking some time for me.Everyone tells me I deserve it.After all, that’s what retired people do.Except that while making time for me is OK,leaving no time for HIM is not OK.Not even.

We do love our excuses,now don’t we??

Now don’t get me wrong,I’m still following along in my nice little daily Bible reading plan.It’s become part of my morning routine,right there with breakfast.

If this is your daily routine and it works for you I mean no offense, but somehow I don’t imagine that the Lord is too pleased with having to compete with my breakfast for His attention.

Listen,all of us struggle at times. I’m living proof that it takes a concerted effort to keep our priorities in order.It doesn’t just happen.I suppose there are many others who feel the same as I do,cause I know I’m not the only one that struggles from time to time.

Am I?

Now that I’ve got you feeling terrible about yourself, here’s the real kicker in all of this.You and I happen to be the beneficiaries of a promise from God that He will never leave us or forsake us(Heb 13:5). And I don’t know about you,but that statement is pretty amazing.

So while we may go through times when our lives fall short of the Lord’s expectations,He remains faithful to us.He is always patient and kind towards us,gently urging us onward and helping to develop in us the discipline and character needed to be a follower of Him.

Be blessed!