Devotional Christian » Priorities

Something To Consider

Hariette Petersen — Wed, 18 May 2011 22:40:12 +0000

My priorties are pretty much a mess right now. It seems the more I try to prioritize, the more interruptions I face. The more needs I try to meet in my life, the more conflicts I find. Once again the Spirit reminds me that my life is not about me. It’s about others. And others are like me, they have emotions, energies, reasoning, desires, and needs of their own. Therein lies my quandry.

If I cannot get my own life in order, how can I give time to others?

From the whining grandchild to the overworked son-in-law. From my Type-A daughter, to my laid-back, steadfast husband. From a distant friend, to one I have lunch with. From my Iraqi friend who I teach English to, to my chiropractor’s orders to rest. All these come to mind when I consider a priority list.

One half of most every moment in my life I am thinking about myself….my needs…my comfort. Yet the more comfortable I get, the less I tend to do for others…the less I consider their feelings, their thoughts, their doubts, their condition, their abilities and even their inabilities. I must consider their flaws as well as their perfections. I must consider their wisdom as well as their foolishness.

God has placed me here, in this moment, to be the light and salt in the lives of others. My mind cannot be so made up, my priorities so set in cement–that I have no wiggle room to meet another’s needs, no tolerance for their weakness, no forbearance for their mistakes.

What about me? What about my needs, my emotions, my hopes? I ask God those questions more than you can possibly believe. I am all about me and my needs and comforts being met. Seriously. I’ve made a vocation of indulging my own pleasure and comfort. But I cannot lock myself in a room somewhere in order to please myself. If I did, I’d have to become a self-reliant farmer, gardener, technician, plumber, baker, physician, etcetera. With relationships, rest is usually compromised, time is not always ours to schedule, whims are not often granted (sometimes not even our needs are met).

“have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very natureGod, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;” Philippians 5:5-6

No one had more right to His own pleasures, comfort and desires than Jesus. He, after all, was constantly healing, tending, teaching, listening, and caring for others. He went so far as to lay down His life for others. He paid the price for sin so we could live forever in the Kingdom of God. If Jesus was willing to set Himself aside to meet the needs of others, shouldn’t I?

God allows certain circumstances to occur in my life as I grow in Christ. He has a plan for me and as I walk through life towards the goal He has laid out before me. That ”goal” is ”to have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” What is the mindset of Jesus?

Jesus set His mind toward Jerusalem…to save sinners…to obey God all along the way until He willingly lay down upon the cross, and willingly allowed others to nail Him to the wood. He willingly allowed man to raise His beaten, battered, bloody and naked body up on a pole to be mocked, spat upon and humiliated. All to pay the price for sin…my sin, your sin, the sin of others.

PRAYER: Please bless those who struggle with priorities. Give peace to the weary, clarity to the busy, and guidance to those consumed with earthly things. Let them see You in every interruption, obstacle and trial. Let them see Your hand and know the Spririt’s call upon their lives as they walk toward the goal you’ve set before them.

© Hariette Petersen, SelahV Today, 2011

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are you too busy for God?

Emily Riley — Thu, 13 May 2010 11:59:52 +0000

Most people know the importance of spending time with God. But in the midst of life, sometimes it’s just hard to find the time. Schedules fill up quickly, work consumes our thoughts at night, family and friends vie for our attention, and then there’s this thing called sleep. How do you fit it all in? What do you let “drop”? What do you do when you simply need 36 hours in a day instead of 24?

There can be many reasons and causes for our busy lives. But, no matter the season, no matter the busy schedule we have, God demands our worship. The sisters, Mary and Martha are a good example of this. Its easy for me to relate to Martha… busy with serving… busy with something good, but missing what was most important.

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are⁾ anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)

I want to grow in that faith that Mary had… faith to rest and not be anxious. The wisdom to see what is most important. Faith to trust in God to provide and to be able to simply rest there.

Prayer: Father, Help us to look to you, no matter how busy our lives may be. Be our number one priority and help us to in faith, trust you to provide the needed strength for the other events of our day. You are all powerful and you care for us. Help that truth to increase our faith and trust in you. Forgive us for where we are anxious. Thank you for the reminder that if you care for the needs of the birds of the air, you care for us.

Crooked Rows and the Kingdom of God

Jody Sneed — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:06:05 +0000

As they were walking along someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you no matter where you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head.” He said to another person, “Come, be my disciple.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” Jesus replied, “Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead. Your duty is to go and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God.” Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” Luke 9:57-62

One Sunday morning with our 12th grade Sunday School class, the topic was following Christ and was based on John 1 (the calling of Phillip and Nathaniel) and Luke 9 (Jesus letting his potential followers know that a hard path awaited them rather than one paved by their own priorities). I explained that the tools for agriculture in that day were mule and plow, not machinery. The question then posed was, “If you were plowing, why couldn’t you turn your head to see where you had been or wanted to go?”

“Crooked rows,” one student answered immediately. “You’d get crooked rows when you looked back.”

Wow. I grew up on a farm and a row was that wasn’t straight wasn’t right. But in Christ’s meaning, the issue wasn’t pride but priority. Same with the follower who presumed four-star accommodations along the way or the one with a funeral to attend…Jesus was letting us know that the Kingdom will not be built according to our priorities but His.

Jesus didn’t want “crooked rows” in His Kingdom. He wanted his plowers to plow for all they were worth…not to be distracted by “what might have been” had they stayed home. Following Him meant obedience and dedication, saying a firm “no” to competing interests.

How often do we look back from the plow? I think that is why there are so many miserable Christians who feel they missed something (a verse or prayer) that would cure their pain or feel that God has led them on a wild goose chase after the abundant life He promised but is always just out of reach.

“Crooked rows” prevail in the landscape of my ministry…but Abba is more interested in my learning how to keep my eye on the prize than re-doing the past.