PRIORITIES IN LIFE ARE LIKE BANKS OF A RIVER, THEY KEEP THE WATER FLOWING IN THE DIRECTION THAT IT SHOULD.
PRIORITIES ARE DEFINED IN RANDOM HOUSE DICTIONARY AS:THE STATE OR QUALITY OF BEING EARLIER IN TIME. , OCCURENCE, ETC. PRECEDENCE IN ORDER, RANK, PRIVILEGE, ETC.
OUR PRIORITIES IN LIFE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE DO FIRST EACH AND EVERY DAY. OUR PRIORITIES SHOULD BE:
GOD- MEANING OUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. THIS DOES NOT NECESSARILY INCLUDE CHURCH. OUR PERSONAL TIME THAT WE SPEND IN PRAYER WITH HIM. OUR OWN PERSONAL TIME THAT WE SPEND IN READING OF HIS WORD. AND THE TIME WE SPEND OBEYING HIM. THESE THINGS ARE WHAT WE MEAN BY GOD FIRST.
CHURCH IS NOT INCLUDED IN THESE THINGS BECAUSE CHURCH IS A GATHERING TOGETHER WITH ALL THE SAINTS TO BE TAUGHT BY A MINISTER. YOU TAKE WHAT YOU LEARN WITH YOU INTO YOUR PERSONAL PRIVATE TIME WITH GOD.
EVERYDAY WE HAVE TO GET UP IN THE MORNING AND CHOOSE TO SPEAK TO GOD. SOMETIMES IT IS A BATTLE AS OTHER THINGS TRY TO TAKE US AWAY FROM WHAT IS FIRST. EVERY OTHER IMPORTANT TASK JOCKEYS FOR FIRST PLACE. BUT THIS IS A BATTLE THAT WE MUST WIN. FOR EVERYTHING ELSE IN OUR DAY AND IN OUR LIVES HINGES ON WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE GOING TO PUT GOD FIRST OR SECOND.
YOU WILL NOTICE THAT ALL OF THESE PRIORITIES HAVE A FEW THINGS IN COMMON:
SPOUSE-WE MUST KEEP OUR SPOUSES NUMBER ONE AFTER GOD. WITHOUT OUR SPOUSES WE HAVE NOTHING ELSE. AND WITHOUT US WORKING ON OUR MARRIAGE EVERYDAY WE WILL NOT HAVE ONE. MARRIAGES HAVE TO CONSTANTLY MAINTAINED IN ORDER TO HAVE A GOOD ONE. ONE THING THAT HELPS A MARRIAGE IS TO SIMPLY KEEP IT FIRST. KEEP IT A PRIORITY. JUST BY KEEPING IN MIND THAT YOUR MARRIAGEIS FIRST WILL DO WONDERS FOR IT. YOUR MARRIAGE IS BEFORE YOUR FRIENDS. IN FACT YOU REALLY CAN'T HAVE FRIENDS UNLESS THEY ARE OTHER COUPLE FRIENDS THAT YOU AND YOUR WIFE CAN BOTH ENJOY. YOU MIGHT THINK THIS TOO HARD. YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU ONLY HAVE SO MANY HOURS IN EVERYDAY. THIS IS THE REASON FOR PRIORITIES TO MAKE SURE YOU DO WHAT IS IMPORTANT DURING THOSE FEW PRECIOUS HOURS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF JUST YOU AND YOUR WIFE HAVING TIME ALONE. WE NEED TO GO OUT ON DATES AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN OUR RELATIONSHIP. EVEN IF YOU DO NOT HAVE KIDS YOU NEED TO BREAK THE MONOTONOUS CYCLE OF WORK AND HOME. MEN WILL HAVE A HARDER TIME WITH THIS BECAUSE QUITE FRANKLY WE COULD GO YEARS WITHOUT REALLY HAVING TO TAKE A BREAK FROM A MONOTONOUS CYCLE.
CHILDREN- IN A TIME WHEN CHILDREN ARE THE MOST NEGLECTED AS CHRISTIANS WE NEED TO PURPOSE EVEN MORE AND MORE TO MAKE TIME FOR OUR CHILDREN. A FEW YEARS BACK WE HEARD THE WISE ADVICE OF THE SECULAR COMMUNITY THAT, "QUALITY TIME IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN QUANTITY." SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT. EVEN AS A YOUNG MAN I KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THAT STATEMENT. I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND AT THE TIME THAT OUR COUNTRY RUNS ON THE PRIORITY OF CAREER AND MONEY. BUT, I KNEW THAT QUANTITY TIME MEANT MORE THAN SOME FIVE MINUTES OF QUALITY TIME. IT TAKES TIME FOR A CHILD TO FORM SENTENCES. IT TAKES TIME FOR UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT THINGS TO HAPPEN, SO THAT YOU AND YOUR CHILD WILL HAVE CERTAIN MEMORIES AND EXPERIECES TOGETHER. YET, EVEN AMONG CHRISTIANS CAREER AND MONEY TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER FAMILY. IT IS SAD, BUT THIS MIX UP OF PRIORITIES CONTINUES TO BE THE ROOT OF ALMOST ALL OF SOCIETIES PROBLEMS. AND WE COULD EVEN SAY OF ALL OF SOCIETIES ILLS. EVEN OUR SCHOOLS ARE NOT EXCEMPT FROM PUTTING CAREER AND MONEY FIRST. HEADSTART IS A PROGRAM THAT WAS FORMED TO BABYSIT OUR CHILDREN WHILE, YOU GUESSED IT, WE WORK. YEAR ROUND SCHOOL WAS CREATED ON THE BASIS THAT A CHILD LOSES WHAT HE LEARNED IF THE TIME AWAY FROM SCHOOL WAS PROTRACTED. WHAT ABOUT THE LONG LAZY SUMMERS THAT ALLOW A CHILD TO BE A CHILD? YES, EVEN DOING NOTHING BUT PLAYING WITH SAM THE DOG.
CHRUCH- CHURCH HAS ALWAYS BEEN UNDER ATTACK SINCE THE DAY THAT IT WAS CREATED. EPHESIANS PUTS TO REST THE ARGUMENT OF THE TREE PEOPLE THAT THEY CAN HAVE JUST AS CLOSE A COMMUNION WITH GOD UNDER A TREE AS THEY CAN IN CHURCH. EPHESIANS 4:7-16 TELLS US WITH SUCH CLARITY THAT GOD GAVE TO THE CHURCH WHILE HE WAS ASCENDING UP INTO HEAVEN GIFTS. MEANING- APOSTLES, PROPHETS, EVANGELISTS, PASTORS, TEACHERS, FOR THE EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST, FOR THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY. JESUS GAVE TO THE CHURCH MEN AND WOMEN WHO WOULD BE CALLED BY GOD TO CONTINUE THE TEACHING MINISTRY JESUS STARTED ON THIS EARTH. IN OTHER WORDS JESUS GAVE US THESE DIFFERENT OFFICES TO HELP US MATURE IN OUR FAITH. IF WE STAY AT HOME THEN WE ARE NOT BEING OBEDIENT TO WHAT JESUS DID FOR US. THE TEACHING GIFTS ARE IN THE CHURCH. NOT AT YOUR HOUSE. THE POINT I WANT TO MAKE IS THAT TO NOT BE TAUGHT BY THESE GIFTS THAT GOD GAVE IS TO BE ON YOUR OWN. DOING YOUR OWN THING AND NOT BEING SUBMISSIVE TO THE WAY GOD STRUCTURED THINGS IN THIS EARTH. MANY THINK THAT BY STAYING HOME AN LISTENING TO THESE GIFTS ON THE T.V. THAT THIS IS GOOD ENOUGH. LET ME SHARE SOMETHING WITH YOU. WITHOUT CHURCHES SUPPORTING THESE T.V. MINISTRIES THERE WOULD BE NO T.V. MINISTRIES. IT'S THE PEOPLE IN THE STRUCTURED CHURCHES WHO GIVE. I GAURANTEE YOU THAT THOSE WHO GO TO NO CHURCH AND JUST STAY HOME TO WATCH THESE TELEVANGIST GIVE NOTHING TO THEM. ALS0, THESE MINITRIES ON T.V. WOULD ALSO TELL YOU THAT YOU NEED TO BE PART OF A LOCAL CONGREGATION.
JOB-OUR JOBS ARE ALSO VERY IMPORTANT. WE NEED TO PROVIDE FOR OUR FAMILIES THROUGH THE JOB THAT GOD HAS GIVEN US. ALSO, WE NEED TO HAVE MONEY TO GIVE MONEY TO FINANCE THE WORK OF GOD ON THIS EARTH. JUST A FEW THOUGHTS. REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR CAREER IN THE PROPER ORDER. IT IS NOT BEFORE GOD, OR YOUR SPOUSE,OR YOUR CHILDREN, OR EVEN CHURCH. ONCE IN A WHILE WE MIGHT HAVE TO WORK DURING CHURCH TIME, BUT IF ITS ALL THE TIME YOUR PRIORITIES ARE OFF. YOU CAN ALWAYS ASK FOR SUNDAYS OR WEDNESDAYS OFF SO THAT YOU CAN ATTEND CHURCH. IF THEY SAY NO THEN YOU CAN ALWAYS PRAY. SOMETIMES WE ARE AT THE WRONG JOB IF THEY WILL JUST NOT LET US OFF ON SUNDAY. I WOULD NOT WORK ON SUNDAYS FOR EXTRA MONEY. AGAIN, SOMETIMES THIS NEED MIGHT ARISE. JUST WATCH YOURSELF THAT IT DOES NOT TAKE OVER YOUR OTHER PRIORITIES.
FINALLY PRIORITIES KEEP US SAFE. WITHOUT PRIORITIES WE HAVE NO SAFE BOUNDRIES GUIDING US THROUGH LIFE. PRIORITIES WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE, YOUR MARRIAGE, YOUR CHILDREN, YOUR JOB. PRIORITIES ARE YOUR FRIENDS. THEY KEEP YOU SAFELY IN THE WILL OF GOD.