Maranatha Messenger

WHAT TO DO
WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO

REDEFINE YOUR PRIORITIES
Part 1

What do you do when you don’t know what to do? Sometimes we need to redefine our priorities.

1. Why is it so easy to get our priorities out of line? Things that are unimportant seem to be important. Issues that are really insignificant seem to be significant. I agree with German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who said, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”[1]

2. How do I rediscover my priorities? How do I list or rank the priorities in my life? Determining your priorities can certainly be valuable. Author Kent Hughes, informs us how understanding our priorities can be essential. Hughes said,

A number of years ago a fascinating interview took place between Mr. Charles Schwab, then president of Bethlehem Steel, and Ivy Lee, a self-styled
management consultant. Lee was an aggressive, self-confident man who by his perseverance had secured the interview with Mr. Schwab, who was no less
self-assured, being one of the most powerful men in the world. During the conversation, Mr. Lee asserted that if the management of Bethlehem Steel
would follow his advice, the company’s operations would be improved and their profits increased. Schwab responded, ‘If you can show us a way to get
more things done, I’ll be glad to listen; and if it works, I’ll pay you whatever you ask within reason.’ Lee handed Schwab a blank piece of paper and
said, ‘Write down the most important things you have to do tomorrow.’ Mr. Schwab did so. Now, Lee continued, ‘Number them in order of importance.’
Schwab did so. ‘Tomorrow morning start on number one, and stay with it until you have completed it. Then go on to number two and number three and
number four…Don’t worry if you haven’t completed everything by the end of the day. At least you will have completed the most important projects. Do
this every day. After you have been convinced of the value of this system, have your men try it. Try it as long as you like, and then send me your check for
whatever you think the advice is worth.’ The two men shook hands and Lee left the president’s office. A few weeks later Charles Schwab sent Ivy Lee
a check for $25,000—an astronomical amount in the 1930s! He said it was the most profitable lesson he had learned in his long business career.[2]

Businessman Ivy Lee discovered the benefit of understanding the principle of priorities. How does scripture define the believer’s priorities? Does God’s Word teach us about putting things into perspective?

IS GOD FIRST IN YOUR LIFE?

1. A young lawyer interrogated Jesus on the subject of priorities. This legalist inquired, “Master, which [is] the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:36-38).

2. This nomikos {expert of the Mosaic Law} desired to debate Jesus on the greatest commandment in the Torah. In other words, he wanted to know which one of the 613 Mosaic commandments Jesus would cite as His favorite. Which command was most significant? How would Jesus prioritize the commandments?

3. The Rabbis divided the 613 laws into two separate groups. The first group involved the 248 affirmative laws, one for every part of the human body. The second group included the 365 negative laws, one for each day of the year.

4. Needless to say, the opinionated Rabbis spent countless hours ranking the significance of the various laws.[3] How would Jesus answer this calculated question?

5. Without any hesitation, Jesus began to quote from Deuteronomy 6:5 which commands us to love God with our whole being. While the Jews were busy with ceremonies and religious rites, Jesus informed this young man that loving God involves the inner heart of man. Loving God with our all of our heart, soul and mind connects the whole essence of man. We must love Him first! Ed Glasscock says, “The word ‘first’ is an adjective ascribing prominence or superior importance to its antecedent (‘commandment’). Therefore Jesus was stating that the commandment to love God with one’s whole being is the most distinguished and preeminent of all the commandments.”[4] Are you passionately pursuing God? Is He the center of your life?

Discussion

Why is it so hard to keep your priorities straight?

Is it hard to keep your spiritual life a priority?

Where should Jesus rank in our priorities?

How should we determine our priorities?




[1] Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989), 146.
[2] Kent Hughes, Liberating Ministry From the Success Syndrome, ( Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishing, Inc, 1988), 54.
[3] John MacArthur, Jr. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Matthew 16-23, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988), 338.
[4] Ed Glasscock, Moody Gospel Matthew Commentary, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1997), 437.