Its difficult to keep priorities straight.
In this day and age we all have many, many obligations and activities on our plate. Work takes up an enormous amount of time, and even when were not physically at work, we may still be thinking about a deadline or a project that needs completed. Family is also an important, if not the most important priority that we need to attend to. Health, church, quiet time with God, money, community service, retirement portfolios, grandkids, vacations, marriage relationships, taking care of aging parents, the list goes on and on. But how do we make sure the most important things get the most attention? That is the trick, and the individual that can master it will be more successful in every area of life than the one that cannot.
Lead Pastor Dwight Mason, of NewPointe Community Church, believes that God wants us to have our priorities in order as we serve him and live our lives.
God absolutely desires that we set priorities in order, Mason shared. Matthew 6:33 calls us to prioritize our life. It is at the end of a section of scripture that talks about things that people have a natural tendency to make most important in their lives. Christ says that these things do not satisfy, so we who know Christ act like pagans when we run after them.
Matthew 6:33 states, Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Many times we seek the things first and attempt to add them ourselves. Mason believes when we love God and put him first, our lives will be in order and he will take care of the details.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself is another place we see priority in scripture, Mason said. This verse says relationships. So the two most important areas in our lives should be our relationship with God and people. These are two main priorities that when implemented will help the other things to fall into perfect order. Having your relationship with Christ and others in a good standing is the best way to address the other issues that come up in life.
So we must prioritize our relationship with God, Mason added. There are two ways to know where God is on your list; examine where you spend your time and your money. The newest survey says that 2.3 percent of all people who claim to know Christ tithe, which means that 97.7 percent do not. Matthew 6:21 states, where your treasure is there is your heart. Time deals with service and having a Sabbath. Your relational health is always measured by trust. Both of these determine our level of trust with God, which speaks of our relationship with Him.
The second portion of the commandment speaks about relationships with others. Mason believes that having relationships right with spouses, children, family and friends is essential because things do not bring satisfaction, which is why we become materialistic; we continue seeking that satisfaction from things when it can only come from a relationship with Christ and others. God and relationships are the top priorities for anyone in Masons view.
Even when we know what is right, we still struggle to meet those priorities. We tend to get caught up in work, money, activities, and making sure our kids are well-rounded and involved in many things.
Its easy to fall into that trap because we do not have an eternal perspective, Mason said. We are people of the now. We want it now, so we go for instant gratification, which means we are never content or satisfied. We have to break that cycle.
Having priorities in order can impact your life in a great way. God desires order and wants us to all adhere to discipline and order in our lives.
Just look around, Mason shared. God is a God of order. It is like when your back is out of place. You may look normal but you are in a lot of pain, because your skeleton, muscles, tendons and so on are out of order. When something is out of order in the body, it effects every other area of our body. It makes a body difficult and painful to deal with, so we look to medicate it. It is the same way when our priorities are out of whack. It makes life difficult and painful to deal with and we seek remedies, which dont always work. We need to have our priorities in line with Gods Word and what he desires for our lives.
This year, as you evaluate 2011 and look forward to 2012, consider your priorities and where they lie. Think about where you spend your time and money and examine your relationship with God and others. Make a personal inventory checklist and then try to strengthen those areas that are lacking. Lets make 2012 the year our priorities are straight!
