WEDNESDAY’S WORD – PRIORITIES – 12/27/17 Sadell Bradley – New Life Covenant Cincinnati

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Action expresses priorities.” PRIORITIES – are things that are regarded or treated as more important than others. They take precedence  before others in time or rank. All of us have priorities that are reflected in our actions. We tell ourselves and each other that certain things are really important, but our true priorities are revealed in inventories of: how we handle our/God’s money; how we spend our limited time, and how we deal with our relationships – even with the Lord. As we

begin to peek over into 2018, let’s do some soul searching on what our true priorities were in 2017. Did we finance our dreams or other things? Were our most important relationships fostered and nurtured or neglected? Was our time consumed with things that caused us to grow and build or depleted and drained by mindless entertainment and social media? We can choose 2018’s priorities today! Steven Covey said, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” The same holds true with money. Budgets disclose our financial priorities. You’re not broke…you just prioritized something else.     

 

If you have more than one priority, you have no priority.  The first of Ten Commandments states, “You shall have no other gods before Me,” establishing that God is to be that priority. Christ explained, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24) He admonished His followers not to prioritize or worry about temporal things and material possessions, but to, “Seek the Kingdom of God first- above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33) Jesus made it clear that doing His Father’s will was His priority, “I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.” (John 5:30) He reminds us, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” (Matthew 10:37) Is God your #1 priority? 

Priorities bring clarity in decision-making. We often struggle trying to balance

everything in our lives.  We run around attempting to keep all the plates spinning. Setting proper priorities can make some of those plates drop! If everything is important, than nothing is important. Simplified priorities bring peace of mind. Pastor Rick Warren said, “Living in light of eternity changes our priorities.” Do you know what your priorities are? or what you want them to be? Consider a priorities shift for 2018. Thanks for reading Wednesday’s Word, I hope it’s been a blessing to you!