Making priorities is a very important thing, even for us Christians. Knowing what to prioritise, however, is just as important. Do we really know what we should be prioritising?
Know what matters most
Philippians 1:10 of the New Living Translation tells us, "For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return." We've got to know what matters most to enable us to prioritise them. When we do, our lives will gain focus, will require less effort to live, will have less clutter, and we will be free to do what God wants us to do.
Here are some biblical matters that we should prioritise, in descending order.
1. Relationship with God
"Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?" Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matthew 22:36-37)
The top priority on the list is loving God with all that we are. Frankly speaking, we all fail at that. Still, we should strive to love God above all others, including ourselves.
2. Loving others
"A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:39-40)
Next to God, we should love other people, too. If we love Him, it would be impossible for us not to love others – the very people that He also loved and sent His Son for.
We should realise, however, that we can only do so much with our limitations. Thus, we should know who to prioritise. Here are some people that we should love.
a. Our families
We should all realise that our families are our first ministry. Before we could all go out to the world to preach the gospel, we must first show the love of Christ to our family.
b. Our workplace
Next comes the workplace, where we can both get income to provide for our needs and have the opportunity to spread the love of God to those who don't know Him. Let your co-workers praise God for the way you work and treat them.
c. Our church
Oh yes, we should love our church and the people in it. Honestly, church people aren't perfect, but so are we. We're all walking the road to Christ-likeness, and it wouldn't hurt to be the first one to treat others with the kind of warmth that Christ had given us.
d. Our neighbours
There are a lot of people we can reach out to, including that person you don't like. Still, as Christians and ambassadors of Christ, we must learn to love them, reach out to them and pray for them.
e. Ourselves
Whoa. You might be surprised to find this here, but we must remember that we should only love our neighbours as ourselves, and that we can never give to others what we don't have. Give yourself some rest. Spend time enjoying God's presence. Have fun learning and enjoying what God has given you. It's easier to love others when you know and understand that God loves you.
Lastly, keep in mind that God owns you, because He has purchased you with Christ's blood. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Take care of your spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental health. Be in tip-top shape so that you can love God and serve Him at all times.
