From the Pastor… The Great Priority  

For the longest time, I have begun my workday by updating my Do List. There is often a full-page of tasks to accomplish. Once the list is printed, my next job is to decide which tasks are immediate and most important. The rest have to wait until those get accomplished. — I never get everything checked off that list, but at least I can see what I have done that day and feel good about it.

It’s always tempting to begin with the easy tasks or the ones we enjoy doing. That can derail the effectiveness of our work, for sure. You probably agree with the saying: “First things first.”  But how do you decide what is first?  What is truly important and what is not? And haven’t you seen the negative consequences of putting off the truly important?

Jesus claimed that the Kingdom of God is to be our priority. As he talked about the basics of life such as food and clothing, he claimed that those important things were superseded by the need to have God be in control of what we do and say.  He included a promise about the essentials of life when he said, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be yours as well.” – Matthew 6:33.

Is Jesus’ first thing your first thing?  If not, why not? At the end of life, God is the only thing that matters. So why shouldn’t God matter most right now? – This priority should guide everything we do and say… Does this concern fit into God’s plan, or just mine? We are really good at choosing lesser gods, and messed up lives are evidence of those choices.

Perhaps you have had much more down-time during this disruption of our schedules.  And perhaps it has caused you to wonder… What is really important?  If that is one side effect of our restricted activities, then it just might be a very helpful insight.

God’s best to you,     

         Lee