In light of Easter, I though this meme was a great one to reflect on. This weekend, we observed a time of remembrance for what Jesus did for us: the betrayal he endured, the pain and suffering he took on, the sin he took upon himself and ultimately, his death. Then on Sunday, we celebrated his conquering of death.
This weekend is why we observe Eucharist, communion, Lord’s Supper, and all the other names for it! We take time throughout the year to reflect on our lives, to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal things to us, to cleanse ourselves by asking forgiveness, and then to remember what Christ has done for us.
These are the things that we, as Christians, say are our priority. We give our lives to Christ so that we can be saved. We promise to follow him no matter the cost. But do your priorities reflect that?
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. “
John 14:15
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
2 Timothy 2:22
Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:29-31
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
Does your life reflect these priorities? Think through your typical day. What activities are you involved in? Do these reflect the life of someone who has Jesus as their priority?
Now, I am not advocating that everyone become a monk, nun, or clergy. We can have the priorities of God while living the life that God has given us. As we go throughout our lives, we should be able to point to how we are keeping Jesus priority. We should be able to see how we are showing love to others when it would be easier to ignore or be mean. We should be able to see how we went out of our way to help someone. Tithing should not be problematic. We should be open and watchful to opportunities to share Jesus.
If we can’t see Godly behaviors throughout our everyday life, then we need to evaluate our priorities. What we do shows us what are priorities are. Often, where our money gets spent will show us our priorities.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 12:34
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Matthew 6:24
Does this mean that we can’t use our money for fun? Or that we can’t use some of our time to go to sports events?
No. God wants us to enjoy life as well. It’s about your priority. Could you give up those things if someone was in need? Could you give away those tickets if you saw a family who could use them more? If an emergency at church came up, could you forego a family vacation? Are you able to tell your kids “no” to a ballgame because you’ve committed your family to one day a month at the food pantry?
Think about the types of activities you are involved in. Do they reflect the priorities that Jesus would have? Maybe some of the things you are doing aren’t sinful, but cause you to be a stumbling block to others? Would you be willing to let go of that activity? If your spouse became an alcoholic, could you forego drinking alcohol in order to make sure they didn’t go down that road again? Could you give up R rated movies in order to make sure your teenager doesn’t become desensitized to violence and sex? Would you take time out of your football schedule to make sure that your family gets to church on Sunday?
These types of things will show you where your heart is. God isn’t about legalism. The prophets preached that over and over, and Jesus preached it over and over. It’s not about the amount of works, it’s about where your heart is.
Because we are sinful, we are going to have to consistently re-evaluate where our priorities are. Sin creeps in. It is easy to get off the narrow path. So don’t feel down if you need to change some things up! I know my family has to do it every time we move (and that is a LOT)! Seek God’s guidance and ask for help. Small steps in the right direction will lead to bigger leaps of faith down the road. You can do this! God will always bless those who are trying to be in his will. I’m not saying he will send you gobs of money or anything like that, but he will help you and bless you in ways that you can only understand after you take the steps.
- Take some time to think through your typical week. Make a list of the activities you are involved in. Put a $ next to the things that cost you money outside of necessity. Put a star next to the ones that cost you money/time but were for the kingdom of heaven.
- List any opportunities, during that same week, to share about Jesus. Put a check mark next to the opportunities you took and an X next to the opportunities you let slip by.
- Pray over this list. Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of anything that needs to be changed.
- Make a new list. This one is for the week ahead. List all the known activities you have as well as the known costs.
- Based on what the Holy Spirit revealed to you, mark down the changes you are going to make. This could be on your list, or maybe you make a new list. It doesn’t matter how you note it, just write it down some how.
- Pray over your notes and ask God to give you eyes to see the opportunities to share Jesus and/or to show his love to others. Ask him to keep you focused during the week on these changes.
- Focus on these notes this week. Make your necessary changes and keep your eyes open for opportunities to show God’s love and/or to share about Jesus.
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Meme pictures derived from social media and shared under Fair Use Copyright Law
