Misplaced Priorities

by Micky Galloway

When Christians plan vacations without consideration of a place to worship God or plan other social and recreational functions that cause them to fail to assemble with saints to worship God, it causes one to believe that some of us have trouble with our priorities. I suppose this is not a new problem for Luke tells of two who came to the Lord expressing a willingness to follow Him, but each felt a prior obligation. One asked to be permitted “first to go and bury my father” while the other asked “first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house” (Luke 9:59-61).

Webster defines “priority” as “quality or status of being prior; precedence.” Your priorities are those things that you give first place in your life. What are yours?

Paul had some antagonists in Corinth and throughout Galatia who were accusing him of being a men-pleaser. Did he not say that he became “all things to all men” (I Corinthians 9:22)? Had he not had Timothy circumcised in an effort to gain Jewish favor and did it not appear to Paul's critics that he lifted the restraints of the law to pacify the Gentiles?

These who accused Paul certainly did not understand his motives and they falsely charged him with being a men-pleaser. Paul affirmed that the gospel he preached was “not after man. For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but (it came to me) through revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12). He had left a profitable and humanly advantageous religion for one that had made him an object of scorn and ridicule (Galatians 1:13-14; I Corinthians 4:10-13). Furthermore, his decision to do this had been made without consultation with relatives or with those who had become apostles before him. In fact it was as much as three years after Paul became a Christian before he saw the other apostles (Galatians 1:15-24). Do these things portray the actions of one who seeks to please men or do they reflect the behavior of one who has his priorities right in his life? Paul's answer is, “… for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).

What Should Receive Priority In Life?

The law gave first place to God. In the Ten Commandments given to Israel the first three clearly defined God's place as being first. (1) There were to be no other gods before Him (Deuteronomy 5:7). (2) No graven images were to be made of His likeness (Deuteronomy 5:8). (3) His name was not to be taken in vain (Deuteronomy 5:11). When asked what was the greatest command of the law, Jesus taught that it was that part which spelled out God's priority, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:35-38).

Solomon taught that man should place priority on fearing God and keeping His commandments. He said, “(This is) the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole (duty) of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Jesus taught that our concern for the kingdom of God and His righteousness should take priority over our anxieties over food and clothing. “Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?… But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:31-34). The Bible teaches that doing God's will should be the first order of business in life for us. If you are devoted to that proposition, you have your priorities in life right and if you have any person or thing before this, you have them wrong. Please be reminded that God will not accept second place.

Some Who Had Their Priorities Right

Job said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him” (Job 13:15). To Job, trusting God was more important than life. Notice the commitment of Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Daniel, “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with he portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank…” (Daniel 1:8). When Paul was warned by Agabus, “Thus saith the Holy Spirit, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles … Then Paul answered, What do ye, weeping and breaking my heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:11-13). We see in these the strength of conviction of those whose priorities were unquestionable.

Conclusion

If we have our priorities right it will solve a lot of problems before they develop. We will not have problems with church members who forsake the assembling, neglect Bible study, fail to give as prospered or allow the slightest things to interfere with their service to the Lord. When other things present an apparent conflict, it is understood by all who have their priorities right that serving God takes priority over all else. That would go a long way toward curing slack attendance on Sunday night or Wednesday night. When our priorities are right, there will be no question about where we will be and what we will be doing when brethren meet for worship (Cf. Hebrews 10:25; Titus 2:14; 3:1).

Parents can solve a lot of problems with their children if they will, by example and teaching, help them develop the right priorities in life.

We need to spend some time arranging our priorities. Where you spend eternity will be determined by what your priorities are in this life.