The morning routine for me includes thinking and praying while I get ready. It’s a time of prayer and contemplation, about my life, about the day before, and the day ahead, and it’s often where I get inspiration for the daily devotions I write. Today, I was thinking about my priorities. Yesterday, the power was out for about half the day. It had been out since about 10 PM the day before, and, as I considered today I realized that, yesterday, many of my priorities were out of order, or simply misplaced.
For starters, though I was up at around 5:20am, I didn’t do my daily study time. I went right to my phone to see when the power would be on, and then continued to thumb through my phone until I got restless, woke everyone up, and took them to breakfast. Then I hooked our refrigerators and icebox up to a generator (the power came on an hour and a half later), and got to work on the yard for 3 hours. Yet still no Bible study time. Then I had a lot of down time (which I squandered on “me time”), study for my health program I signed up for (trying to lose weight, keep it off, and form healthy habits), but still no Bible Study time. I woke up this morning feeling the weight of it. For any successes I had, I knew I had cut God out of my priorities. I did a lot of good things. I loved my family, I worked on my home to clean up after the storm. I spoke with friends and neighbors. But my most important relationship was cast aside.
Loved ones, we need to make sure our priorities are in order, and they are only ever in Order if God is first, central and last in all of them. He should be the reason we do anything, the beginning of our day, the reason for our interactions, and why and how we rest our head in peace at night. So I ask you: what are your priorities? Is God one of them, or the central part of each?
John 14:1-14
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me[e] anything in my name, I will do it.
2 Timothy 1:3-14
I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
