Prioritizing Life

What does the word prioritize mean to you?  Simply put, it is something that is more important than something else. 

I believe a person that wants to keep things in right perspective with God, must prioritize their involvement when it comes to anti-Christ activities that can disrupt the very core of a Christ filled life. 

If adjustments are left unattended or placed on the back burner of things to do, it gives room for wayward thoughts to infiltrate the mind and capture one’s full attention.  This initiative to prioritize life, certainly depends on the circumstance and nature of the involvement that is before us…good or evil.

As an example, we know that oil and water will not mix or blend together.  It is the same scenario when dealing with the things of God in relation to the things of this world.

The Bible explains to us that Christians are in the world but not of the world.  In other words, we are to abstain from entangling ourselves with questionable encounters that can hurt us not only physically, but spiritually as well.  The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.

Considering the preceding cliché, we should prioritize our coming and going, such that we don’t offend the Holy Spirit or those around us that may be watching our everyday texture-of-character as to how we deal with the ups and downs of life.

The Bible also says that we should be like a city on a hill, allowing others to see the brightness of God’s glory in us as we express a good attitude, while diligently working to portray His love by not hiding His light under a basket.

(Matthew 4:14-16) “You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (15) “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” (16) “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Prioritizing life, while striving to emulate God’s attributes, will help others see the peace of God through our actions and the words we use.  We should treat people as we want to be treated.  To say we love and respect someone to their face and then cut them down behind their back, or indiscriminately gossip about them, are errors in judgement.  This kind of activity is worldly, and not Christlike. 

It is easy to go the way of the world and flirt with sin, because of its drawing power and the dark forces surrounding us that are trying to compete for our attention to persuade us to backslide against the Holy Spirit.

(Ephesians 6:12) “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

It is challenging to be the person standing out in a crowd, because of our position in Christ, but I would rather be known for my relationship with Him, by prioritizing life, and reveal His love to others, than not.

It is my desire to not close my bowels of compassion when dealing with those that I rub shoulders with each day.  I want to bless them with the Good News that God forgives sin, through His Son, Jesus, and heaven is a real place. 

Yes, prioritizing life requires discipline and hard work, but God is our strength, and He expects nothing less than our best.

(Romans 12:1) “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

As Christians, it is in the Lord’s strength that we stand against the wiles of the enemy and battle pressing temptations that we face.  I believe that most people desire recognition and want to belong and feel accepted by others, rather than being rejected by co-workers, family members, and peers. 

It is sometimes like trying to mix oil and water.  Some non-Christians accept the Lord, and some do not.  It is the responsibility of Christians to share Christ, and then leave it up to the Holy Spirit to draw them to God. 

We do not have to partake in non-Christian activities, but the Bible says that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.  This is where prioritizing life is most important. 

The temptation to regress in faith is sometimes easier than taking a stand for righteousness.  If a person loves God, they will keep His commandments and prioritize the level at which they serve Him...without compromising their faith.

We can ask ourselves this question: “Do I halfheartedly serve the Lord and wink at sin from time to time, or do I resist, for holiness’ sake, temptations to sin?  Christians should demand of themselves, that the inner person within them, reject worldly lust and then follow through with discipline not to partake of the wrong things.

Do we want sin to roll off our back like water off a duck’s back or let it water down our faith in Jesus?  Only you and I can answer this question.  God does not demand or make us serve Him.  He created us to be freewill moral agents that can choose to prioritize life God’s way or run with the crowd.

“Birds of a feather flock together.”  It takes moxie to stand against evil in a world where right is becoming wrong and wrong is becoming right in the eyes of the unrighteous and those that are halfheartedly serving God.  As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

In my opinion, prioritizing life does not mean compromising one’s faith.  I do not believe in compromise, nor do I believe in misrepresenting God in a negative connotation by overloading others with mixed signals.  God forbid that I do such things!

I do not want anyone to stumble because I lack the responsibility to prioritize right from wrong.  This is a thin line of decision making.  No doubt there are areas that I am weak in that may cause me to fail, likewise, others may stumble and fall if they see my indiscretions.

I remember my dad telling me that I needed to be a testimony of the goodness of God, always, to help others come to Jesus and discipline their life.  A person can do what they feel is right in their own eyes, but we need to consider what character image we are presenting…Christ or the world’s standard of living.

(Philippians 2:12) “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” 

I think where Christians miss the mark and sometimes fall into temptation is when they know something is wrong, yet they go ahead and push the envelope to get as close to the line of demarcation as they can, thinking that they will not step over that line.  Tempting fate is not wise.

This is where Satan can merge and push us over the line like he did to Eve in the Garden of Eden.  He tempted her to sin against God and eat of the fruit that God commanded her and Adam not to eat.

I believe that each time she walked past the fruit, she got a little closer to it.  No doubt Eve felt that the fruit was calling her name, but it was the serpent that was deceiving her.  Perhaps she even touched the fruit a few times to see what it felt like. 

Finally, temptation won out, and sin entered the world.  Sin raised its ugly head, because Eve failed to prioritize what was most important to her. 

The appearance of sin is brilliant to the wondering eye and sparkles like expensive diamonds, but the truth of temptation is that it is only cheap rhinestones that are seen.  We need to turn our eyes upon Jesus.  When we do so, the things of earth grow dim in the light of His glory…like a city on a hill.  This is what I call prioritizing life.

 

Written by,

Papa Boyd