Way back in college, I had to take a course that introduced the basics of leadership in order to become a Resident Assistant, or an RA, in my dormitory. That was a long time ago but I've never forgotten the discussion on our priorities in life and how important it is to maintain those priorities when the schedule gets busy.
If you've ever been entangled with the tyranny of the urgent you'll know firsthand how difficult maintaining priorities can be. But, they're important. So, what are your priorities? Here are mine.
God, Family, Work, Ministry, Extra.
These can be broken down a bit and described in different ways as each of these can be a little vague as we first look at them.
First of course, at least for the Christian, is making God the center or top priority in our lives. In other words, our faith comes first as we are called by God to live for him and even make him the Lord of our lives. And as time has gone by I've seen modifications to my priorities in that I've defined them a bit differently since I first began. Now, I would say that God means theology first, or knowing God as he truly is described in Scripture. My faith then proceeds from this truth or knowledge of God. And this faith and knowledge of God are absolutely essential for all other parts of life, especially when the inevitable challenges and tribulations of life come.
Secondly, and this isn't much of a stretch for most people, would be Family. But how do we define family? First, it is in marriage and then it is in our children and relatives. Marriage comes first as we see God created Adam and then Eve, as a help meet, or as a companion. This companionship or friendship is the heart of marriage, and marriage is the core of a family, and family is the fundamental institution for society and culture. Companionship also shows the oneness that God created in marriage as a practical illustration of the heavenly marriage between Christ and the church. It is of utmost importance and central to the marriage relationship. But, then there are the kids, who we raise to grow up and go out, to start their own families as well. Even more, there is the extended family of siblings and relatives. All of our family is defined and constituted by our faith and knowledge of God.
Thirdly, we see that our Work, or vocation, is a high priority with God. This is our calling as God has gifted each of us with a unique set of interests, talents, and skills. The reason God has given us these gifts is so that we would use them and become productive in our lives. We find great significance in life when we are doing the work we are good at, or what we are interested in doing. It can be difficult at times to develop our gifts as we can lack the opportunity to get an education or the time and money. But, discovering and developing those skills must become a priority for us to grow to maturity. Finding our talents leads to inspiration in life as we grow in our faith and knowledge of God.
Fourthly, is our calling to Ministry. This priority may be a debatable point in two ways. First, there are many who believe that ministry must be a higher priority in our lives, after all that's why God created us, right? And there are others who would argue that it should not be a priority at all if we are not in the full-time ministry. But if we look carefully at Scripture we see that all Christians are called to some sort of ministry. One of the great doctrines of Scripture is "the priesthood of all believers" where we know that all our work in essence is part of our ministry or vocation. So if we are gifted to be an accountant but not gifted as a preacher, we can see a great part of our ministry is to become the best accountant or business person we can be. We also are always called to use our gifts to bear Spiritual fruit and serve all people in works of mercy and service.
Lastly, and in a general way, is the category of Extra. This was first described in college as extra-curricular and anything that was over and above academic work. But in all of life, it stays the same, we have to have a category for fun, relaxation, refreshment, social times, vacation, sports, hobbies, etc. This usually is difficult to keep as the fifth priority because it is so tempting to let it creep up on the higher priorities. But, it needs to be there, and it needs to be there as the fifth priority. We have to have some fun in order to flourish or thrive. We can't be all work and no play. It's even part of the doctrine of Sabbath rest and worship. Our souls need refreshment, plain and simple.
It is imperative to also understand that these categories are not only sequential, they are interchangeable at times. The fifth priority doesn't have to always come after the fourth, or else it may never come. We may need to go for a jog after work before we go to a committee meeting at night. We may need to start work at 2am and yet get a quiet time in Scripture later that afternoon. We may need to put in ten hours a day at work for a season, but sooner or later, we have to seek a balance with work to help our family grow and thrive. It's always a delicate balance, but without a plan or a priority list, it becomes impossible to keep life together. This leads us back to priority One, to God who can keep all of life together as we keep Him the highest priority in all things.
FAITH TODAY: Colossians 1:17 - "He is before all things, and in him, all things hold together."
If you've ever been entangled with the tyranny of the urgent you'll know firsthand how difficult maintaining priorities can be. But, they're important. So, what are your priorities? Here are mine.
God, Family, Work, Ministry, Extra.
These can be broken down a bit and described in different ways as each of these can be a little vague as we first look at them.
First of course, at least for the Christian, is making God the center or top priority in our lives. In other words, our faith comes first as we are called by God to live for him and even make him the Lord of our lives. And as time has gone by I've seen modifications to my priorities in that I've defined them a bit differently since I first began. Now, I would say that God means theology first, or knowing God as he truly is described in Scripture. My faith then proceeds from this truth or knowledge of God. And this faith and knowledge of God are absolutely essential for all other parts of life, especially when the inevitable challenges and tribulations of life come.
Secondly, and this isn't much of a stretch for most people, would be Family. But how do we define family? First, it is in marriage and then it is in our children and relatives. Marriage comes first as we see God created Adam and then Eve, as a help meet, or as a companion. This companionship or friendship is the heart of marriage, and marriage is the core of a family, and family is the fundamental institution for society and culture. Companionship also shows the oneness that God created in marriage as a practical illustration of the heavenly marriage between Christ and the church. It is of utmost importance and central to the marriage relationship. But, then there are the kids, who we raise to grow up and go out, to start their own families as well. Even more, there is the extended family of siblings and relatives. All of our family is defined and constituted by our faith and knowledge of God.
Thirdly, we see that our Work, or vocation, is a high priority with God. This is our calling as God has gifted each of us with a unique set of interests, talents, and skills. The reason God has given us these gifts is so that we would use them and become productive in our lives. We find great significance in life when we are doing the work we are good at, or what we are interested in doing. It can be difficult at times to develop our gifts as we can lack the opportunity to get an education or the time and money. But, discovering and developing those skills must become a priority for us to grow to maturity. Finding our talents leads to inspiration in life as we grow in our faith and knowledge of God.
Fourthly, is our calling to Ministry. This priority may be a debatable point in two ways. First, there are many who believe that ministry must be a higher priority in our lives, after all that's why God created us, right? And there are others who would argue that it should not be a priority at all if we are not in the full-time ministry. But if we look carefully at Scripture we see that all Christians are called to some sort of ministry. One of the great doctrines of Scripture is "the priesthood of all believers" where we know that all our work in essence is part of our ministry or vocation. So if we are gifted to be an accountant but not gifted as a preacher, we can see a great part of our ministry is to become the best accountant or business person we can be. We also are always called to use our gifts to bear Spiritual fruit and serve all people in works of mercy and service.
Lastly, and in a general way, is the category of Extra. This was first described in college as extra-curricular and anything that was over and above academic work. But in all of life, it stays the same, we have to have a category for fun, relaxation, refreshment, social times, vacation, sports, hobbies, etc. This usually is difficult to keep as the fifth priority because it is so tempting to let it creep up on the higher priorities. But, it needs to be there, and it needs to be there as the fifth priority. We have to have some fun in order to flourish or thrive. We can't be all work and no play. It's even part of the doctrine of Sabbath rest and worship. Our souls need refreshment, plain and simple.
It is imperative to also understand that these categories are not only sequential, they are interchangeable at times. The fifth priority doesn't have to always come after the fourth, or else it may never come. We may need to go for a jog after work before we go to a committee meeting at night. We may need to start work at 2am and yet get a quiet time in Scripture later that afternoon. We may need to put in ten hours a day at work for a season, but sooner or later, we have to seek a balance with work to help our family grow and thrive. It's always a delicate balance, but without a plan or a priority list, it becomes impossible to keep life together. This leads us back to priority One, to God who can keep all of life together as we keep Him the highest priority in all things.
FAITH TODAY: Colossians 1:17 - "He is before all things, and in him, all things hold together."
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