Priorities
are the things, responsibilities, needs, and the like that you’d consider most
important to you; things that you like to take care of before anything else.
So, having defined the word, what is your most important need right now? We all
have needs and we like to categorize them in a particular order based on how
important or urgent we think they are, and how much time we have. However,
there are times when what we consider the most important really isn’t as
critical as we think; we’ve just categorized it wrong.
Here’s a case in point. One afternoon, after
Pentecost, Peter and John encountered a lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the
Temple. That had been the lame man’s spot day after day, where he always sat
and begged from those who passed by, going into the Temple. This man’s need
appeared to be money to provide for himself. Many people would agree that in
his situation—being lame and therefore unemployed-- money was his most crucial
need.
Peter,
however, thought healing was the man’s most pressing need. If he had health, he
could work and take care of himself and would not need to depend on the
kindness of others to survive. So, Peter did not give him a couple of coins and
wish him a good afternoon, as the man might have expected. Instead, Peter got
the man’s attention and then said to him, “I don’t have any silver or gold for
you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene,
get up and walk” (Acts 3:6). Peter took the lame man by the hand and helped him
up; he received instant healing—he began to walk and leap, praising God. That
man’s life was forever changed! I’d assume he stopped begging and went on to
work to take care of himself!
How about
you and me? What do we need the most? And what do we ask of God when we pray?
Generally speaking, we often pray for our needs and those of our loved ones to
be met. We pray for needs that just show up, our jobs, etc. But are those
really our greatest needs? The Scriptures have the answer for us: “Seek the
Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you
everything you need” (Matthew 6:33). For our needs to be met, we need
to focus on God’s business, which is loving Him and obeying His Word. Loving
Him will be evident through our obedience, our soul-winning efforts, and our
eager expectation of His return. This should be our number one priority! And
since God is faithful, we should rest assured that He will provide for us.
Also, the
apostle Paul directs our attention to the same thing when he reminds the church
of Colosse: “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your
sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at
God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not things of earth. For
you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God”
(Colossians 3:1-3). Our focus and priority should be on God and heaven.
Let’s pray
for God’s help so we’ll be able to put Him first at all times and in all
things. Psalm 24:1tells us: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The
world and all its people belong to him.” If we believe this verse, trusting Him
with our lives and needs should be easy. People, without us saying a word, should
be able to figure out what our top priority is, simply by watching how we live
our lives! Let’s take the time every now and then to make sure our priorities
are in the right order: always with God at the top of our list!
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