What Are Your Priorities

What Are Your Priorities?

Perhaps our greatest power is to establish our priorities. These are the things that motivate us. Priorities are based on values, beliefs, ideals, and commitment. They define each of us as a person. Some are motivated by fame or money. Others are motivated by their friends or family. In short, there can be hundreds of reasons that motivate us each day. It is critically important to recognize that we alone have the power to set our priorities and if we do not set them, then society will set them for us. Popular culture will set our priorities to feed our flesh.

If we prayerfully chose our priorities we will use our imagination, intelligence, and desire. An authentic priority will give your life meaning and will be well defined, provide enthusiasm, and be free from the force of our current circumstances. A priority must also be realistic. Some people wait until they are on their death bed to establish their true priorities. This is a shame. Nobody with terminal cancer ever wished that they had spent more time at work.

Our priorities are a product of how we spend our time, money, and thoughts. As a Methodist, all members are called to faithfully participate support the church with their prayers, presence, gifts, and service. Doesn’t this sound very similar to time, money, and thoughts? In short, the church is calling its members to make God a priority and be a disciple of Him

Scripture teaches us that time is important. “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Each day is a gift from God and should be used to bring honor to Him, not ourselves. I think time is our most precious priority. If we use our time to help others, are we not showing the love of God? Consider these holy words from Matthew 25:40. “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Money is important for all of us to provide for ourselves and our families, but we should not treat it as a “golden calf.” We often pursue earthly wealth with little to no consideration to God’s blessing. The pursuit of wealth is beautifully addressed in Matthew 6:19-21. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Our thoughts have tremendous power and often lead to action. Perhaps this is why the Apostle Paul instructed us in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” Paul elaborates on this concept in 2 Cor. 10:5: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).

We would all be wise to prayerfully set our own priorities. Be blessed.

Meet the Author

Todd Shupe is a Men’s Ministry Specialist through the General Commission of United Methodist Men and is in training to be a Certified Lay Minister through the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. He currently serves as the President of the Baton Rouge District of United Methodist Men and is a Board Member for Gulf South Men and serves on the Action Team for The Kingdom Group. He is a volunteer for the Walk to Emmaus, Grace Camp, and Iron Sharpens Iron. Todd resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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Make Today Count

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV).

Time is a precious commodity. It is a gift from God, and we should be good stewards of our time as with any other gift. Certainly, the devil is interested in misuse of your time. If he can cheat you of your time, he can cheat you of your heavenly treasure. Perhaps the last thing that he is loath to let go is time. His game is to cheat you of today and the next day by whatever means necessary. For some it is procrastination – let’s do that tomorrow. For others, it may be to conjure up past mistakes and keep your focus on past problems and rob you of the joy of today and the forgiveness and grace that comes from Jesus.

Our focus must be on the present if we are to be good stewards of our time. This was the message of Paul in Hebrews 3:13, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,”

so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” We should be intentional in using our time to honor God. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).

Each day we decide whom we will serve as we are taught in Joshua 24:15. “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

To make the most of your time, you must discern what’s most important. Yes, it is impossible for one person to “do it all.” God does not expect you to do everything. He does expect you to use your gifts and talents to make wise decisions that will have a meaningful impact on His kingdom. The greatest gift that God has given you is salvation by Jesus Christ. The second greatest gift you were given in life is the freedom to choose.

When you haven’t clarified what you want out of life, you’re indecisive all the time because you can’t do what’s good until you decide what’s good. You can’t do what’s important until you decide what’s important. Pray and talk to your pastor about how you can use your time to honor God. Maybe your pastor has been praying for somebody with a heart for evangelism to join the evangelism committee, and you have such a heart. When you use your time wisely, you are honoring God, and He will certainly bless your efforts.

Prayer: Dear God, We live in a world with so many distractions that take our focus away from you. Help us to honor you with all that we do. Amen.

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Wrestling With God

“Then the man said, ‘Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me’” (Genesis 32:26 NLT).

I love the visual image of Jacob wrestling with God in Genesis 32:22-32. This is a powerful story, and it raises many questions. Obviously, God could have overpowered Jacob and ended things instantly. Why did God let the struggle go on?

Here’s the lesson: When God allows, note-He does not create the crisis, a crisis into your life, He doesn’t solve it immediately. He uses the crisis as an opportunity to see if you’re really serious about seeking Him. If God answered every prayer immediately, you’d begin to think God was a big vending machine: Put in a prayer, pull out whatever you need.

If God just instantly bailed you out of a crisis rooted in your poor choices, then tomorrow you would likely do the same thing again. You wouldn’t learn discipline, or money management, or wisdom, or persistence. God is not just going to bail you out of the debt you got yourself into; He will help you get out of debt, but He wants to build your character in the process. We have many struggles in life, but perhaps our biggest struggle is with God because we want control of things. In short, we want to play God.

Jacob tried to control his life to such an extent that he even wanted to change the order of his birth. Jacob was a twin, and the Bible teaches that when he came out of his mother’s womb, he was clinging to his older brother’s ankle, grappling to be the first one out. He spent a lifetime in conflict with his brother, Esau, but his biggest battle was with God. One night he even tried to go one-on-one with God. Some people want to debate whether Jacob actually wrestled with God, but the Bible tells us in Hosea: “Even in the womb, Jacob struggled with his brother; when he became a man, he even fought with God” (Hosea 12:3).

One thing that is certain from the beginning of time to the end of time – humans have problems. Our problems provide with opportunities for great spiritual growth. However, for that growth to happen it requires a response on our part. We must choose if will we obey God in this situation and follow Him regardless of our desires. Also, we must choose if we truly trust God and will turn the problem over to Him to resolve in His time and His manner.

No matter what our problem is—financial, physical, relational, social, or vocational—we tend not to focus on the real problem. The real problem is not obeying and trusting God, and that makes the problem bigger.

Prayer: Dear God, please draw us close to you as we struggle with our problems. Give us the confidence that you walk with us in the darkest of valleys. Amen.

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The Best Christmas Present

¹⁸ “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of
Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

I love Christmas and the Advent season. It is a special time of year for families and the church. The Advent season allows us to prepare our hearts for the birth of the Christ child. I also love all of the traditions that come with Christmas – decorating the tree with ornaments that have been passed down from generations, giving and receiving presents, candlelight service at church on Christmas eve, the smell of ginger bread baking and a fresh pine tree in the house, and the anticipation of Christmas day.

One of the traditions of Christmas is the Nativity story. The New Testament contains two Christmas stories. They appear in Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2. In the familiar version of the Christmas story, Mary and Joseph travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Because there was no room in the inn, the baby Jesus is born in a stable and placed in a manger. It is important to tell the Nativity story each year to help us better understand the Christ portion of Christmas.

I think as fathers and priests of our houses we should also teach our children about the best Christmas present ever – the blood of Christ on the cross at Calvary. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” We are reconciled to the Father by His sacrifice of His son. God has provided us a path for forgiveness of sins that leads to life everlasting and salvation. We do not deserve this, but we receive it as the ultimate blessing. Ephesians 2:9 instruct us that “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

So, this Advent season I encourage you to enjoy your family, church services, and all the special traditions of your family. Tell your children or grandchildren the Nativity story but also tell them that Jesus himself is the best present. A life lived in Him and for Him will help build His kingdom on earth and will lead to life everlasting. Now that is some gift!

Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for sending your son to earth. Thank you for giving us the way, the truth, and the life. Help keep us mindful that His blood is the most precious gift that we can ever receive it. Amen.

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Month: January 2019