Teachings of Jesus (Part 14) Priorities
What things are most important to you? Your family, your spouse, for some of you it may be your farm and your animals. What activities are most important; your job, taking care of your home, or maybe you like the outdoors and it’s a recreational activity. Someone once said, “A man who wants to do something will find a way, and a man who doesn’t want to do something will find excuses.” (Stephen Dolley)
I’m convinced that Jesus is not looking for people who are looking for excuses, He is looking for people who are willing to put Him first.
People who want Him, and to do something for Him will find a way.
In Luke 9 we read about some who made excuses for not following Jesus..
57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” 62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Someone once said, “Having the wrong priorities in our life is like buttoning our coat incorrectly. If we get that first button wrong all the others will line up according to that misplaced first one. But when we get the first button right, all the other buttons will line up where they are designed to be.”
How many times have you seen with your own eyes people who have messed up their lives because they messed up their priorities.
The founder of McDonalds, Ray Kroc was asked by a reporter about the order of his priorities. He said, “I believe in God, my family, and then McDonalds.” But then he added, “But when I get to the office, I reverse the order.”
Do any of you do that? What most people don’t know is that when this man passed away he was on his third marriage. Even though he built a business empire he could not hold his own family together. Get your priorities off and it will mess up the rest of your life, especially if you put God on the back burner.
Let me ask you this, ‘How do you judge another’s priorities?’ Maybe you look at what they spend their time doing. You may also consider what they spend their money on and what they say.
Sometimes we don’t even realize how much our priorities are off until someone else makes us aware of what we are doing. We have a good example of this in our text today in Luke 10:38-42
“ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Can you just imagine how Martha felt just before, and then just after what Jesus said here?
First, she was probably very frustrated and upset with Mary. ‘I’m in here doing all this work, cooking and cleaning, making preparations for all these people to eat, and she has the gall to leave me alone in here and plop down in front of Jesus. What does the think I am, her maid or something?’
But then Jesus says what He said and it probably leaves her humbled, embarrassed, and speechless. What’s more important, cleaning, fixing food and drink or actually spending time with God’s Son Jesus, and hearing what he had to say and teach while in their midst?
Is it more important to serve Jesus, or actually to spend time with Him, and talk to Him, and hear what He has to say to you personally?
What about us? Can we get our priorities off? You bet we can!
How good are you at taking time out to spend tme with Jesus and listen to what He had to say and teach – for us that’s taking time out to read our Bibles and hear lessons on what He had to say and teach. In John 6:63 Jesus told His disciple, “The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.” In Verse 68 Peter confessed, “You have the words of eternal life.”
What’s more important than that? Is your job, your career, you property, your possessions, or anything else more important than that?
‘Martha, God in the flesh is in the next room and you want to clean up, make bread, and cut up some fruit, and then get upset while doing that?’
But let’s not be so tuff on Martha until we look at ourselves.
And by now you may be thinking, ‘Oh no, Ben is doing it again – he’s making me look at myself in light of God’s perfect word and I going to end up feeling guilty again. How about some ‘feel good sermons?’’
Brethren, I’m only teaching what Jesus Himself taught. He did not teach these things just to rub people the wrong way and get them upset. Rather, He loves us all so much He wanted to show us how to live a better way so that we can find some peace, serve God better and secure our place in His heaven.
In Proverbs 27:17 Solomon wrote, “As iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another”
I’m sure Martha felt pretty bad; but just like a file rubbing across the dull edge of a knife to make it what it’s meant to be. Jesus’ words were meant to make her that much sharper and aware of what was actually important and what should have been more of a priority in her life.
Likewise it is also important for us to check our priorities, because sometimes, like Martha, we can get caught up with things and those things may not be as important as other things.
What’s more important than having a good relation with God?
Is your job more important, your animals, your home or farms? Is personal recreation, sports, or any object more important than having a good relationship with God? What about people? Is there any one person that is actually more important than having a good relationship with God? Can they forgive you your sin or bring you into Heaven one day?
Most of us would be quick to say, ‘Of course not Ben; having a good relationship with God is the most important thing to me.’
But here’s the clincher; do your actions confirm what your mouth says?
Remember when I asked you how would you judge the priorities of others? I said that you would probably look at where and what they spent their time doing.
Well, how and where do you spend your time? Do your actions show that God and His will are a priority in your life or an after thought? How much time have you spent getting to know Him, His word, and His will for your life and make an effort to develop your relationship with Him? How often do you talk to Him in prayer? Or has something else been more important than doing those things?
What about attending church to worship our Lord with other Christians? Do you do that only when you don’t have something better to do?
What about your finances, or how you use what you own. What do you spend money on? Some spend more money on treating themselves by purchasing snacks, treats and coffee than they spend on glorifying God.
Christian people should be some of the most generous people on the planet. If you know your Bible you’d know that there is a blessing with being generous with what you have; especially when it is used to glorify the Lord.
I like how the NLT translates 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 it says, “6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”
In other words, as a Christian we should realize where all blessing come from; they come from God. When it comes right down to it, we can never out give God. And if I’m read this right the Apostle Paul is saying that the more generous we are with what we have, using what we have to Glorify Him and helping others, the more generous He is going to be towards us so we can be even more generous.
If we are selfish and stingy it says something about our priorities.
And what about those things that come out of your mouth. Yea we can say all the right things when certain people are around, but what about when they are not and you are around others who could care less about the Lord.
In Luke 9:26 Jesus said, “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
What we talk about all the time will also reveal what our primary interests are. When my dad started his greenhouse and nursery business years ago when I was in my late teens… I remember that’s ALL he talked about. I remember it got to the point it drove some of us crazy because that’s all he talked about seemingly for years. It was not only a priority in his life it was also a passion.
I wonder if the great men and women in the Old Testament, those like Abraham, and David and all those prophets talked about the Lord like this? What about the Apostles and those early Christians in the New Testament. Did what they say reveal their priority and passion for the Lord?
There are many things that are important to us, that may capture and may even demand our attention, but some things are simply more important than others.
In 2 Corinthians 13:5 the Apostle Paul wrote, “5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves.”
He wrote that to those in the church. Why would he write such a thing to members of the church? Because he knew that some folks like Martha, who may have good intentions, their priorities can sometimes get out of line.
In Matthew 6:33 Jesus said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” NLT
He said “Seek first”
How is your relationship with God?
Is that relationship a priority in your life? Is Jesus?
Have you confess Him as your Lord and do you continued to live like He is the Lord of your life? It’s one things to say that Jesus is your Lord, it’s quite another to live like He is they Lord.
Have you obeyed and submitted to Him in Baptism being immersed in that watery grave where the Bible says in Colossians 2 11-12 that Jesus will cleanse you by personally removing and cutting away your past sin.
When push comes to shove, do you choose our Lord and His will over ALL else? I hope that you do.
I hope that you are not one of the ones that have made excused to Him as to why you can’t put Him and His will first in your life.
In another Place Jesus said, “What good is it if you gain the whole world yet forfeit your very soul.”
I would like to close with a quote I read on Facebook yesterday. “Nothing on Earth is worth going to Hell for.”
May I encourage you to see God and His will before anything else.
For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566
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