Thursday, 12/19/19 – Discipleship – Priorities

“Priority One”

“Hey Google,” I said, “What are the top three priorities?”

In an instant a female voice replied, “I found this on the web…” and a plethora of priorities scrolled down the screen: My children, my marriage and my education…. Stay sober, make lots of money, get a bigger house… Beat cancer, look after my little sister, get a new water heater… — Clearly our lot in life, social milieu and spiritual conscience all play a role in the values we adopt and the importance we ascribe to people, to money, and to things.

But is there one common denominator? Is there some one thing that every priority poll might indisputably place at the top?

Jesus gave us what must be every soul’s “Priority One”:

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33).

How do we do this? “Abide in Me,” Jesus urged (John 15:4), “The Holy Spirit will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26).

When we make Jesus our top priority He begins to change us. He begins to work in our lives, our children’s lives, our marriages and other relationships. One’s education and career goals may change. We will have new focus and direction and hope… We will no longer desire to get drunk… Money will hold less value as we realize God can be trusted to provide… Earthly possessions like houses and cars lose their allure as we value more the rewards of eternity… We find Jesus can heal… Jesus can provide… Jesus can bring peace in the midst of our trials. — He can do all these things in ways we cannot imagine. When we seek Him first… His kingdom… His rule in our lives… When we seek to be righteous just as He is… then, all the other pieces and bits and decisions of our lives fall into their proper place.

C.S. Lewis spoke to this in several places…

“Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’; aim at earth and you will get neither.” – Mere Christianity

“You can’t get second things by putting them first. You get second things only by putting first things first.” – God in the Dock…

“Put first things first and we get second things thrown in: put second things first and we lose both first and second things.” – letter to Dom Bede Griffiths (1951)

The Apostle Paul’s great ambition was this:

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.” (Phil. 3:12-15).

Press on…

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