AMY LARSON
Staff Writer
What is most important to us? Is it grades? Is it money? Regardless of what our top priorities are, one thing is certain: those ideas become our main concern in life. For instance, if good grades are a priority for me, I will turn in work on time, decline invitations to go out, attend class, and so on. Conversely, if grades are not a high priority for me, these actions seem less appealing. The same is true with any priority and any issue.
God is not removed from our lives; He understands our goals and priorities and hopes. Jesus encountered many people who had come from lives where gaining as much wealth as possible was the main priority. Jesus pointed out a new idea to them. Jesus reminded them that even the most cherished possessions can be destroyed or stolen. Why place such high value on something so easily wrecked?
Jesus told his followers that whatever they placed as their top priority, that’s where their lives would be. Whatever you cherish the most, consider the most valuable and meaningful, He said, that’s where your heart is (Matthew 6:21).
This is an insight not many of us think about, but affects us nonetheless. If our top priority is to get into a certain profession, a majority of decisions in our lives will reflect that goal. Whether we know it or not, our priorities become the compass for our lives.
It’s easy to allow certain things to become our main goal. For many people I know, it’s obtaining that top-paying job, that elusive six-figure paycheck, and the prestige that comes with both. For others, it is marriage and all that tags along with it. For others, it is fame – being known, being praised, being popular. Yet, I believe the most important priority that can guide our lives is following Christ.
If following Christ became our top priority, all our decisions would be influenced by our love for Him. Selfish motives would be banned; the goal would be for all actions and words to bring glory to God instead of attention to ourselves. We’d try to live lives according to His example rather than by the dictates of culture.
He loved the unlovable, and we’d try to do the same. He showed love, even when it hurt – a task which is far more difficult than giving way to hate, anger, or irritation.
In Romans 6:16, Paul shares this same idea about priorities with his friends. He says, “Don’t you understand that you become a slave to whatever you choose to obey?” Anything you chase and anything you value gains control of a portion of your life.
You may feel certain that you are the sole director of your fate, but I challenge you to reassess. What are your priorities? What are your goals?
I make this challenge not only to you, but to myself. I have seen areas in my own life in which plans for far into the future enslave me now. While these plans may be important, they pale in comparison to the importance of Christ.
So, the challenge stands: live a life directed by Christ over anything else. Anything else, any other goal, will not fulfill us the way we’re convinced it will. I truly believe that we do a massive disservice to ourselves and those around us if we choose to be held captive, to be lead, by anything but the powerful, beautiful love of Christ.
02-21-2008