Establishing Priorities

Where do we usually begin when it comes to establishing priorities? With how old we are? With how long until we retire? With how long we expect to live once we retire? With us, then as the center of our concerns. Admit it. Even when we say our concern is with our family, it begins with our seeming circumstances. Even as Christians who claim faith in the sovereignty of God, where do we really begin? Should we not begin here: "You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth" (Exodus 20:3-4). If we first establish God as first, will He not lead us? Psalm 23--sweet words that it contains--tells us this: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake" (verses 1-3). In John 10:14-16 Jesus makes clear that He is the Shepherd referred to in Psalm 23: "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and my own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd" (prefiguring in verse 16 the salvation of the Gentiles, probably). In Psalm 90:12, Moses prays: "So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom." Proverbs 3:5-6--familiar words but true--instruct us: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Psalm 119 is full of words directed at God, which yearn for His direction. Here are just a few f them: "Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, and I shall observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law and keep it with all my heart. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to dishonest gain. Turn my eyes away from looking at vanity, and revive me in Your ways. Establish Your word to Your servant, as that which produces reverence for You" (verses 33-38). "Establish my footsteps in Your word, and do not let any iniquity have dominion over me" (Psalm 119:133) is echoed by Paul in Romans 6:14: "For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace." Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and James are replete with guidance in establishing priorities. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 states: "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil." First Corinthians 15:58: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."