Having the Right Priorities can help you focus on what really matters

intro: There is a teaching that asks a question and the question what is the man’s priority? The teaching goes like this you see it in books, preaching, and teaching. Adam was made first and he was to attend the garden. Eve was made second to help Adam. Therefore mans main job or ministry is a top priority. and the women's top priority is to take care of man. The problem is this is saying that plants are more important then people. It asks the wrong question what is man’s top priority? Instead it should be who is man’s top priority? If I have made myself clear let me make myself clear in saying that the home does need to be a priority of the man.

John R. Rice story missionary.

Mark 12:29–31 “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”

lets Pray

Everyone of these relationships needs this in order to thrive

Acceptance

Benevolence/love

Communication

who are the 7 relationships that are to be a Priority in your life

God

Deuteronomy 6:5 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” All of one’s heart, soul, and strength is to be committed to loving God, making Him the first priority.

Acceptance Accept the power of the holy spirt working in and through your life.

Luke 11:13 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”

Galatians 5:16–17

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Galatians 5:22–23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Love God and obey His commandments

1 John 5:2–3 “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

Communicate through Church membership and regular church attendance will be one way a family shows that God is first in their lives. A way in which God can communicate to the believer. daily prayer and studying the Bible.

Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Spouse wife or husband

A married man is to love his wife as Christ loved the church

Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” Christ’s first priority—after obeying and glorifying the Father—was the church. Here is an example a husband should follow: God first, then his wife. Colossians 3:19-21 “Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.” The wives are to submit to their husbands “as to the Lord” Ephesians 5:22 “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” The principle is that a woman’s husband is second only to God in her priorities.

If husbands and wives are second only to God in our priorities, and since a husband and wife are one flesh (Ephesians 5:31 “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.” , it stands to reason that the result of the marriage relationship—children—should be the next priority

kids

Parents are to raise godly children who will be the next generation of those who love the Lord with all their hearts (Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” ; Ephesians 6:4 “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” ), showing once again that God comes first. All other family relationships should reflect that.

Parents

Deuteronomy 5:16 “Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” tells us to honor our parents so that we may live long and so things will go well with us. No age limit is specified, which leads us to believe that as long as our parents are alive, we should honor them. Of course, once a child reaches adulthood, he is no longer obligated to obey them (“Children, obey your parents...”), but there is no age limit to honoring them. We can conclude from this that parents are next in the list of priorities after God, our spouses, and our children. After parents comes the rest of one’s family (1 Timothy 5:8 “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” ).

Extended Family members

Believers

Galatians 6:10 “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

Following one’s extended family in the list of priorities are fellow believers. Romans 14 tells us not to judge or look down upon our brothers (v. 10) or do anything to cause a fellow Christian to “stumble” or fall spiritually. Much of the book of 1 Corinthians is Paul’s instructions on how the church should live together in harmony, loving one another. Other exhortations referring to our brothers and sisters in Christ are “serve one another in love” Galatians 5:13 “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” ); “encourage one another and build each other up”

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” and “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds”

Hebrews 10:24 “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:”

Unbelievers/ The world

Finally comes the rest of the world or unbelievers

Matthew 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” to whom we should bring the gospel, making disciples of Christ.

finish the story of Bill Rice

In conclusion, the scriptural order of priorities is God, spouse, children, parents, extended family, brothers and sisters in Christ, and then the rest of the world. While sometimes decisions must be made to focus on one person over another, the goal is to not be neglecting any of our relationships. The biblical balance is allowing God to empower us to meet all of our relationship priorities, inside and outside our families.