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The purpose of priorities is to help order our thinking, so that the will of God will come to pass in and through our lives. In football, when a quarterback goes back to pass, he does a “checkdown.” Receiver #1? Covered. Receiver #2? Covered. Receiver #3? Open. Boom! Pass and catch!! As we have choices and decisions to make, the proper priorities will allow for Godly results.
Our priorities determine our choices and decisions, whether we are conscious of those priorities or not. Everyone’s mind operates, plans, organizes, judges, and decides based on priorities. Most people’s priorities are determined by a complicated series of interconnecting algorithms of which they themselves are unaware. (Since A happened, and B will probably happen, but only because of C, then I can do D, unless E gets in my way, etc. etc. etc……in this example, each letter itself stands for a complicated series of situations and circumstances, most beyond our control) I find fascinating, but not surprising, the realization that people always think they are being reasonable, even when there is no agreement concerning a specific situation between 2 or more “reasonable” people. This happens because priorities are not the same.
Proverbs 21:2a Every way of man is right in his own eyes;
Since every man, without Christ, is seated as god on the throne of his own life, having his perceived welfare at the center of the known universe, of course every decision he makes is the correct one. Why, even when he’s wrong, he’s right……because his intentions were right! If our priorities come out of this consequence of eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Adam & Eve’s sin), our priorities will not flow with the truth of life – and rocky, complicated, conflicted and unpredictable will be our road.
Get a Godly grasp on your priorities and you’ll get a handle on a Godly life. Seriously. Allow the spirit of Christ to determine your priorities in life, and your rocky, bumpy roller coaster of a road can smooth out to a super highway of clarity and power!
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1. Have the foundation laid.
I Corinthians 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
The foundation is laid first. Don’t even try to build anything until the foundation is laid. And there is only one, single foundation. Jesus Christ and God’s love for you which is found in that very Christ. Not Jesus Christ and church membership. Not Jesus Christ and water baptism. Not Jesus Christ and good works. There is only one foundation, Jesus Christ. Everything else can burn away, but the foundation, once laid, will remain forever. (verse 15). So, the foundation is priority #1.
Romans 8:38a, 39b ….. For I am persuaded that …… (nothing) …… shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You aren’t born persuaded. You position yourself to allow God to persuade you! In Christ is found everything that will make you complete, fulfilled and fruitful in this life. In Christ is found God’s love for you, in which all things are possible! Until you are loved by God through His gift to you of Jesus Christ, you haven’t begun your spiritual journey, because it’s from out of that love that all of God’s workings spring. And that love is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Allow God to set and establish the foundation of His love for you which is found in Christ.
2. Seek the lordship of Christ.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
A very familiar verse to most of you. And what is the context? Having your physical needs met, which puts this seeking of the kingdom of God outside the theoretical. Until you can learn to trust God for your physical needs, you’ll still be carrying the burden of doing it yourself. When you learn to trust Him for your physical needs; peace, healing, spiritual deliverance, ministry, clarity of mind and will are not far behind.
Notice this verse doesn’t tell you how to do the seeking. If God Himself doesn’t rope you into a specific expression of seeking, it would be disservice to Him to allow another man to do so. Read the Bible for an hour every day? Go to a fellowship every week? Sit and meditate in the truth of Christ? Seek to specifically reach out to others? It’s between you and God how you seek….but once that priority is set, be faithful to it!
Those who grow consistently spiritually are those who have seen and set the proper spiritual priorities in life. It’s not rocket science! (You don’t even have to be intelligent). Just set clear priorities, and then allow those priorities to determine what and how you think.
3. Love others.
When your priorities are set properly before God: that is, your foundation is Christ and the seeking of God’s rule and righteousness (which is found only in Christ) comes first, then the expression of your life will be lined up in proper Godlike balance.
Romans 13:8 Owe no man anything, but to love one another; for he that loves another has fulfilled the law.
“No man” includes your blood family. This one directive may be simple, but it will not be easy to establish in your lives. Lack of this priority is why most people live very complicated lives, as regards relationships with others. But aren’t our family or our friends supposed to come first? NO! Loving others, in the spiritual love of Christ, should come first!
Our debt is to love, not please others. If our priority toward others is not love, then for sure other priorities will sneak in, and our decision making will be corrupted…..our relationships will suffer, our emotional needs will be unmet, our lack and our self dissatisfaction will mount.
Romans 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
I decided many years ago that I would be “given to hospitality.” (Of course I’m not going to use verses which I still fail at!) Thus, whenever any saint wants to come for a visit, or has a need to talk to me, or simply to hang out, they are welcome. If the doorbell rings and there stands an unexpected visitor….they are welcome in my home! And I will give them what I am able to. Because hospitality is a priority, I don’t have to think about how tired I am, about how I just want to sit back and watch the football game, about how much other work I have to do, and then decide how grudging I want to be in my welcome. My priority has already made my decision for me.
Now as regards your own individual expression of your life in Christ, it needs to be a priority. Get busy with it! Are you good at encouraging people in the things of the spirit? Don’t let the grass grow. Give yourself to it. Seek every opportunity! Are you good at grasping the truths of the spirit? Get busy figuring out how you can share that ability with others! Are you adept at laying out truths in an orderly, easy-to-understand format? Seek and take advantage of every opportunity to teach!
Romans 12:4-8
You get to express yourself, as the spirit of Christ works within you in that unique way that is you. And it is absolutely the will of God that you be totally involved in that unique expression. It’s what you owe God! Don’t wait and get approval from a book, a pastor, a holy man, a friend. Allow the deepest, most powerful, expressive thoughts from God that are unique to you to change the way you think and live. Put those thoughts and impulses to the test. Prove the working of your Father within! Don’t get out ahead of this working of God within, thinking you’re supposed to supply your own inspiration.
Romans 12:1-3
4. Withstand the devil in the power imparted by Christ’s love.
Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against authorities, against the wielders of the overcoming power of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in the spiritual realms.
The foundation comes first, then seeking the rule of God’s love and His righteousness in our life (which is Christ), then loving others. Finally, we get to enter into the spiritual battle (or wrestling contest), where we deal directly with the enemy of God!
1. God’s love in and through Jesus Christ, the foundation of our life.
2. Seek Christ (the rule and righteousness of God’s love) as our inner life.
3. Love others as the spirit of Christ uniquely inspires us to love.
4. In the powerful strength of the ability of the love of Christ within, stand against the devil in the spiritual wrestling match of life.
The priorities of a Godly life.
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See also:
How to be Saved ….. X 3
The Glorified Christ
How to love other Christians
The Devil, Our Enemy
