Priorities: A Summary
Written by Ed Allen
Saturday, 06 November 1999 19:00
Priorities That Result From Relationship With Go
A priority is something of importance to us. The higher the priority the greater the sense of importance.
Every choice we make, every activity we engage in, every expenditure of our energy and our money is based on our priorities. For example, if soccer is a medium priority - then we will play soccer; and if someone gives us tickets to a D. C. United game we will go. If soccer is a high priority, then we will play soccer every chance we get; we will watch soccer games on TV; we will buy soccer shirts and posters of soccer players and we will pay to go see D. C. United play several times during the season.
If you keep a budget, part of that budget is devoted to house. If your house is a very high priority then a large amount of money and many weekends are spent on the upkeep and improvement of your house and yard. If your house is a low priority, then minimal money and maybe a couple of half days a year are spent on the upkeep and improvement of your house and yard.
And even these priorities ? soccer and our house ? are based on deeper, core priorities. For instance, your house may be a high priority because order is important to you. Or your house may be a high priority because it is important to you what people think and you believe they evaluate you based on your home.
For the last four weeks we have looked at four stories of Jesus that give us rich insight into the priorities that result from having a relationship with God. If we know God, if, as Jesus put it, we abide in him, a certain set of priorities will guide our lives. And the Bible assures us that if we live by these priorities we will live at peace with God and with others. We will make it through the difficulties of life. And we will live without regret. So what are the priorities that offer such promise?
1. The single priority that brings order to the rest of our lives is God Himself.
A. Every form of transportation has a driving mechanism, a device or an object from which it gets its power to move. Every paragraph has a central subject, a main idea which it is communicating. And every life has an organizing priority. For some it is pleasure. For others it is security. For others it is significance. For a few it is a cause or even another person. But the Bible says the only organizing principle upon which an effective life can be built is God Himself.
B. In Jesus? story (Luke 14:15-24), a man prepared a great banquet and invited all his acquaintances to come. But they all made excuses and did not accept his invitation. So he sent his servants out to invite others. The man in the story represents God. The banquet represents a relationship with God.
C. We must say ?yes? to God?s invitations.
D. If Christ were standing before you this morning what invitation would he issue you?
2. The only resources we have are God?s resources.
A wise investment of God?s resources is an investment in relationships.
A. Jesus told the story of a wise manager who used his bosses resources to build connections for himself. (Luke 16:1-15)
B. So should we invest in relationships. I encourage you to find a way to invest in a relationship that is important to you but one for which you have had no time.
C. The wise manager turned financial debts into gratitude.
D. Ask God to show you a way to turn a debt into gratitude.
E. What is your investment plan?
3. The only secure foundation for living is God?s Word.
You build your life on God?s Word by hearing it and by doing it.
A. The foolish person in Jesus? story gave no thought to foundation. Think about the foundation of your life. (Matthew 7:24-27)
B. Hear and do God?s word. When my sister was young she had to do eye exercises to build up the muscles in one of her eyes. What are your hearing exercises?
4. If we want to live without regret we will care for the needy.
A. The rich man in Jesus? story did not care for the beggar at his door. (Luke 16:19-31)
B. We must ask God to show us the PLUMs around us. PLUMs are the Poor, Lost, Unchurched, and Marginalized.
C. What are the ingredients for PLUM pudding in your life?
5. If we want to live without regret we will live with eternity in mind.
A. What will your funeral be like?
B. What would you like for your obituary to say?