Prioritizing Priorities

We are all challenged with prioritizing our priorities. A priority is “A Valuable”  which is regarded as more important than another “Valuable.” So, how are you are putting the most valuable thing at the top are your list?

Let me illustrate ... Many years ago, two River paddle boats left Memphis about the same time. They traveled down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled side-by-side, sailors from one ship taunted the sailors of the other about their snail’s pace. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South. One boat began falling behind because the boat did not posses enough fuel. There had plenty of coal for the trip, but not enough for a race. As one boat dropped back, an enterprising young sailor began to take the ship’s cargo and toss it into the boiler. The sailors saw that the supplies burned as well as the coal. So, they fueled their boat with the material they’d been assigned to transport. They ended up winning the race, by destroying their cargo.

My friends, we can never forget God is our first-priority as it relates to the closeness of God. It is easy to step into the social relevance of Christianity as it relates to the needy world around us…only to make our social, benevolent, and mission work our priority and also…our god. Our allegiance is to God and God alone … all other priorities must serve our first-priority. Any other choice is burning the cargo to win the race…only to loose the purpose of the journey.

 

John 14:21, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."

 
Or

Matthew 6:33, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  

Always working to keep the priorities in focus ... you know I love ya, Don 

Being on God's side, because God is right.

Daniel 4:37: “Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”

 

Words to live by. You know I love ya, Don

Where can I find help?

Daniel 4:34a "At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored."  

The Bible is full of examples of people whom God has raised up from obscurity and exalted to great prosperity. David was a young shepherd boy whom God made a king. Job was a humble farmer when God prospered him with financial independence. Amos was promoted from a fig picker to being one of the great prophets of God. Daniel was lifted from a lowly servant in a boot camp in Babylon to becoming a national commander.

But the key to their success was that they never lost perspective in the process. All these men remembered who it was who raised them up… where their help came from. Now Nebuchadnezzar joins their ranks acknowledging that “the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes” (cf. 7:25).

No matter what position you may now have, no matter what possessions you may now own, no matter what relationships you may now have, no matter what your present skills and abilities are, and no matter how secure you may now feel in these things, you must know that you are always in complete dependence on God.

Our dependence on God defines our humble faith. You know I love ya, Don

The root of the problem ... PRIDE!

The root problem at the very core of all of our lives is pride. Now I know that’s nothing new. In fact, this problem first surfaced in the Garden of Eden. The problem with pride is that it robs us not only of a full and meaningful relationship with other people but, even more so, it robs us of a full and meaningful relationship with God.

A working definition of pride: Pride is simply our refusal to acknowledge God as we should. It is failing to realize fully that all of our abilities, achievements, possessions and relationships are not due ultimately to our sound judgment or superior wisdom, but to the gifts and grace of a sovereign God.

God has declared himself in Scripture as the active antagonist of the proud. God is adamantly opposed to those who set themselves up in proud self-sufficiency. Throughout Scripture we find the same theme repeatedly: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (cf. James 4:6). But I’m afraid that most of us today are unaware of our problem with pride. Daniel 4 offers three very basic steps in overcoming pride. A person can over come pride by taking the steps of knowing where your helps comes from, acknowledging God is greater, and recognizing that God is right. 

You know I love ya, Don 

You! Release the burdens of the flesh...

^{Philippians 2:6}  

Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
    did not regard equality with God
    as something to be exploited,

I love Vacation Bible School. I am forty years old and I think I have been to 39 Vacation Bible School programs. I recall at the close of one of our VBS weeks, I remember getting a card that I decorated and attached the card to the string that was attached to a helium filled balloon. After all of us had attached our balloons, we stepped outside and released the balloon that carried our card with it. We were giving our message away to someone that might receive it as the helium deflated.

I was thinking about that this week and it occurred to me that when YOU! and I release that which ties us down, our message is carried even further. What would have happened if I had never let released the string? The balloon would not have lifted up. The attitude of Jesus was: as a man he was tied to the flesh. So, he released it. He let the burden of trying to achieve righteousness by himself go and released it.

The NIV states that Jesus knew that being equal with God was not something that could be grasped…so he released it. Letting the burden of striving and driving for personal gain…personal success … self-gratification. The "me first" mind set is rampant in society and has led our society to the edge of collapse. We have perversion, AIDS, unwanted pregnancies, violence, abortion, political scandal, and family breakups. The list could go on but the fact is, it is rooted in "me first" or what I call the "I" syndrome.

The successful means to fight against the “I” syndrome is to release it. The world does not revolve around you. Life is not only about YOU!

When we release our false impression of entitlement, we are free from the pecking order. The statements, “I want it now!” “I don’t want to hear your excuses!” “I deserve it!” “I am right!” “I want it done my way!” “I will quit if you do that!” no longer apply. Our response becomes…”Help me understand why you feel that way?”.

Luke 14:25-27 records Jesus saying… "Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 'If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple'." Jesus is saying that the old pecking order is not of God…but that YOU! are to have an attitude of release.

 Letting it all go... you know I love ya, Don

Move over bacon...there's something meatier!

There was an old commercial when turkey bacon hit the market...it was "Move over bacon, there is something meatier available." There is a great teaching point available in this marketing label.

No one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous without excuse.- Psalm 25:3

There are times my day seems like everyone is an "expert" and my job is to follow submissively. It is usually the same day that I want everyone to do what I tell them to do. Then I read psalm 25 and see that God does not override people's will, and we are not to do so either. Instead of trying to control people or situations, we are to pray that we will "hear" God's leading.

I am working on taking this approach; "If someone persists in doing something his or her own way, I am going to demonstrate confidence in God by stepping aside." I may learn a new way or they may learn a new way. God is big enough to get both of us out of any mess we make. The successful key is...He will get the glory and I get the honor of trusting Him. A successful and productive person is willing to move over and let the learning take place while watching and learning themselves.

You know I love ya, Don

The World Does Not Revolve Around Me...or YOU!

“The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.” Psalm 138:8

“It’s all about You, Jesus” is a popular phrase taken from Matt Redman’s chorus, The Heart of Worship. We would do well to make that our refrain, not just Sunday mornings, but everyday. In essence, for the believer, every day and every moment should be “worship-full.” That is God's purpose in me. In other words, God’s grace and mercy is given to us every moment, thus every moment is demonstrating the worth of that grace. God's grace does not revolve around me...or you!

A simple test of your worship, is to ask yourself, “How much is God worth to me?” Is He worth a penny or a dollar or priceless? Your level of how much God is worth is defined in how much you respond in service and dedication to the God you worship. Thus, if He is priceless, a worshiper views every moment as an opportunity to worship God and every moment is about Him. The priceless view releases us from worship styles, worship venues, and personal desires in times and family worship. Worship is not about me, but all about HIM!

Imagine the effect it would have on our lives if we stopped and realized, “It’s not about me.” Imagine the peace we will gain when we understand that whatever happens in our lives is because “it’s not about me; it is about Him.” When things don’t go the way we want, we understand that it’s not about us, it is about God’s bigger picture, God’s glory. When we face suffering and difficulty, we understand that it’s not about us, it is about Him and how He is developing in my life.

Whatever fills our days, whatever God calls us to do in any moment, whatever valley we travel or mountain top we crest, we can remember that if we do the task with Him as our focus, we are accomplishing life because it is all about Jesus. That infuses whatever we do with eternal significance. The Apostle Paul states it this way in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (NIV)

Have a great day - you I love ya - Don

Serving in a spirit of restoration!

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:26

True servants concentrate on their God-given assignment - not what somebody else is doing! Competition between God's servants is illogical: we're all on the same team. Our goal is to make God look good, not ourselves. Listen: "We will not compare ourselves...as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do...Each of us is an original" (Gal 5:26 TM).

Grow up! Get over your petty jealousy! When you're busy serving you don't have time to be critical. When Martha criticized Mary, she lost her servant's heart. True servants don't complain of unfairness, don't have pity-parties and don't resent those not serving in the same way. They just trust God and keep serving. It's not your job to evaluate others. Listen: "Who are you to criticize...The Lord will determine whether his servant has been successful" (Ro 14:4 GWT). God determines who's successful, not you!

Nor is it your job to defend yourself against criticism. Let God handle it! Nehemiah's response to his critics is a classic: "My work is too important to stop now and...visit with you" (Neh 6:3 CEV).
One of the most beautiful acts of love shown to Jesus was criticized by His own disciples. When Mary took the most valuable thing she owned, expensive perfume, and poured it over Jesus, they called it? a waste'. But Jesus called it, "significant" (Mt 26:10 TM). There's only one opinion that matters - His! Your service for Christ is never wasted, regardless of what others say.

Pride is the root of competition. As fellow servants, competition should always take a back position. We make it our goal to please the One we serve by showing compassion and grace to others in service as He has graciously immersed us in the same. Thus, we serve in unity while developing hope in those we attend to.

You know I love ya, Don

Pride is the Folly of Fools...I am one of the fools!

Catherine of Genoa reminds us of how our wisdom can puff us up and bring us to a place of confidence only to reveal that the "our" in the equation is foolish pride. There are too many times in my life that I can think of when I thought I was the one that knew the most only to quickly discover I did not know anything in comparison to others int he room and especially to God. I think Catherine would agree with the old saying, "There are always better fish in the pond."

One of these times for me was as I entered into College at Pacific Christian College. In High School, I was playing piano and organ in most every church. I usually played a wedding a weekend. It was not uncommon for me to play for one or two funerals a month. It was good money and I was pretty good at what I was offering. I also was part-time at a church as a choir director and we had shared in several fun worship offerings. The greatest part of being the hired piano/organist was that I was young and the only one around. Then, I entered into college. I was no longer the only one and the competition was much high. It only took a few days for me to realize how small I was and that I was not as good as everyone in my High School years had lead me to believe.

Another time was when I got to meet George Herbert Bush. It was a Monday Morning and I was asked to be a special ambassador for Sevier County, TN to welcome the former president to our town. He and Mrs. Bush we scheduled to watch a Lee Greenwood show that evening. I was excited. I took the day off, I got my best suit on and I headed to the regional airport for their plane to arrive. I stood next to the Governor of Tennessee and the Mayor and shook the President and the First Lady's hands as they stepped off of the plane to welcome them. It was a great day and I thought I was someone special. As I got into the car and drove out of the airport parking lot, I was overcome with conviction from the Holy Spirit. I sat there and the Holy Spirit said to me, "You didn't get that excited to meet me yesterday in services and I am the Creator of the Universe." I was cut to the heart and it changed me. That was over ten years ago, but since that day my Sunday Morning experience starts on Saturday afternoon and I make every effort to prepare and be excited to meet with God in Sunday Worship.

I know that God is with us every moment of everyday. I know that we enter into His presence only in awareness in a corporate setting during a church worship service, but that His presence is always with us. What Catherine reminds me is that our God is more than I can comprehend and when I pay attention, he reveals himself in the greatest of ways. It is like Catherine states: "God's love wills to stand naked and without any cover since it has nothing to hide."

Learning to lean on God takes every effort...doing it together is what hold us to a greater power. You know I love ya, Don