Due to the faulty Internet in the Howard Plaza Projects, there was no post yesterday. *tear* However, that just means that for this series, two posts will go together and result in a longer post. Yay! And this post comes straight from the mouth of God.
So priority. What's that? Well, let's take the root of the word: prior, which means first or before. So it is something thats goes first, before anything else. Let us go deeper. The Greek word "preos" that it is derived from means one and only, something of great value.
Job 25:2 Dominion and awe belong to God; He establishes order in the heights of heaven.
And so, GOD establishes priority. Well, He establishes it. Do we follow it?
Priorities, God's priorities, leads us to our individual purposes and callings. We know that we are all called to expand the Kingdom here on earth; however, our individual ways are revealed to us as we follow His priorities. What are His priorities, you ask?
Have you ever heard that song from SchoolhouseRock, Three is a Magic Number? Well, three is the number of completion, very fitting, as there are three indicators that you are ordering your life according to God's priorities.
Priorities of God's Children:
WORD
LOVE
GOD
Firstly, the WORD. John 1:1 As a child of God, we must immerse ourselves in the Word. How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119: 9-11 By staying in the Word everyday, we are linking ourselves up with God everyday. The best way to get to know someone is to spend time with them, and once we know God, we will know what He wants for us. We will be forever connected to Him. He says, I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15: 5-8.
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13: 34-35 LOVE. Such a frequently tossed around word, yet few know the Love that Christ offers. We are supposed to keep His commandments in love or not keep them at all. What is love. A man who would lay down his life for a friend. John 15: 13 Meditate on that, and ask God to teach you how to love. Love is an action verb. In John 21: 16, Jesus demonstrates this when Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He (Simon) answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." Actions. We prove ourselves with our actions. Faith without works is dead; even the demons acknowledge God, fear and tremble and must worship Him. James 2:19 His believers are know by their works. Amen.
GOD as Alpha and Omega and everything in between. Revelation 1:8 How often do we put God first? How often do we ask His permission before we do something? How often do we just say, "'sup God, you're so amazing, I love you"? He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30 How often do we really seek to decrease so He can increase? Yes, it hurts, but not as much as it will if you don't let Him take the reins. And it's ok to mess up. As long as we realize we mess up. 2 Corinthians 7:9-11 says, yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
These two scriptures really sum up the life a Christian who is trying to let God be Alpha and Omega: I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Romans 7:15-25 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:9-11
Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. His good purpose = His priorities
Tomorrow, we will talk about how to keep God a priority, actual physical actions. One thing to remember:
Live what you are supposed to live for...which is what you would die for!
~Dove Sister DeAnna~
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