Your Daily Devotional for October 8, 2006

 

October 8, 2006

 

 

Proper Priorities

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

 

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

 

1 John 2:15,17

 

 

One of the greatest challenges of the Christian life is the challenge of maintaining the right priorities. Long before major spiritual defeat or family break-up, Satan tempts Christians to place a high priority on the world’s standard of success. Satan is the prince of this world, and he wants Christians to love the world more than they love God.

 

The word world in verse 15 is the word cosmos which means “arrangement of systems, values” or “values in opposition to God.” The priorities of this world are in direct opposition to God. This world lifts up money, fame, popularity, possessions, and skill above God. First John 5:19 says,

“And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” The same wickedness that was in the world during Jesus’ time is still prevalent today!

 

If our priorities aren’t supposed to be worldly success or gain, what should our priorities be? We should focus on pleasing God rather than pleasing self. We should make church, Bible reading, prayer, soulwinning, and serving God a priority in our lives. Nothing else matters on this earth! Nothing else that we could do or gain will last us for all eternity! Do you want what you do on this earth to mean something?

 

In an issue of USA Today magazine was a story entitled “City of Broken Dreams.” The article told of a Lockheed engineer who put all his retirement into a house in the Antelope Valley in 1989. It had 5 bedrooms, a 3-car garage, and it had all the upgrades anyone could want. He paid $351,000 for the house. Later, he was transferred. Now the house sits empty. The article recorded this man saying, “I’m 60 years old and I’m destroyed. My life savings are gone. I lost $240,000 on the house.”

 

I know of fifteen or twenty men from our church who, back in 1989, placed more value on people’s souls than position in life, and took some of their retirement out and gave it during a banquet in order that we might have church services today. They don’t say, “I’m destroyed.” They have joy as they see others being saved every week in our ministry. They stayed faithful to God from the beginning, and now they are reaping the blessings of having the right priorities.

 

We must be so careful where our priorities lie. What we set as priorities in our lives will govern the way we act. You can say that the movies you watch and the music you listen to aren’t governing your life, but how are you acting? Do you tend to be more comfortable around worldly people or around godly influences? Do you enjoy church or is it just something else that you “do”? We would be wise to take a moment and evaluate our lives. Have your priorities been misplaced? What will you make a priority in your life today?

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