Your #1 Priority – Excerpt From Golf Balls
God is not the #1 priority in my life. God is the totality of my life.
Revelation 22:13 (NLT) I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
The danger with not realizing that God is the totality of our lives is that we will try to shove God down to what we can understand and slide him into “Priority Slot #1.”
If we reduce God down to priority #1, then after we go to church, read the bible, compliment someone, or do something nice, we then check it off and move on to the rest of life. You can fool yourself into thinking you met your spiritual quota for the day or for the week, and then when you go to other priorities… family, work, money…you don’t include God in them because priority #1 is already checked off and done.
God should not be the #1 priority in your life. God should be the totality of your life. Everything you do should honor Him.
You must make your relationship with Him the #1 priority in your life.
The closeness and intimacy of your relationship with Jesus is determined by you. Jesus desires a personal relationship with you. According to John 15:15 Jesus wants to call you His friend.
It isn’t the church’s responsibility to maintain or grow your relationship with God. That may shock you! Your closeness with God is determined by you NOT where you go to church. Nobody can do it for you. Students, your parents can’t do it. Husbands\wives, your spouse can’t do it.
James 4:8 (NLT) Come close to God, and God will come close to you.
When it comes to your relationship with God, it’s your move. The ball is in your court.
Yeah, just see it for yourself!
In January I did a series of talks at the church titled Church Matters. One of my statements was that often times the church or Christians do things that drive people away from God rather than draw people to God.
How about them apples?
Your Hidden Potential
I believe that inside each of us is potential that has not yet been discovered. Maybe it’s something that other people don’t see in you or it could be that you don’t even see it in yourself.
Some people spend most of their life being told or treated like they will never amount to anything. Even just one incident of a parent, teacher, or a “friend” telling you that you are a screw-up can distort your thinking the rest of your life.
Maybe if you examine your life right now you can’t find anything that you would consider yourself a pro at. That may be true. But God has put potential inside each one of us, and if you will submit your life to Him, you can be more than you even dream possible.
I love the story of David in the Bible. Before he defeated Goliath, we can read about people overlooking him and not seeing the potential inside of him. When the prophet Samuel came to David’s father and said to bring his sons to him because one of them would be chosen to be king, his dad brought out David’s seven older brothers but didn’t even bother getting David. Then when David stood before King Saul and offered to fight Goliath, Saul thought there was no way David could win.
And even though it wasn’t apparent on the outside, the potential to do something amazing for God was on the inside. Just like David, when other people don’t see it in us, we must trust that God has placed potential inside of us and begin to believe in ourselves. Not because we are so great, but because God is so great.
When we submit ourselves to God and are obedient to him, the hidden potential that is on the inside begins to show up on the outside.
Priorities – Excerpt from Golf Balls
If for whatever reason, you are unable or unwilling to set your priorities, I assure you, someone or something will set them for you. The strange thing about priorities is that they never stay put. They are constantly shifting and sliding, and it is our responsibility to keep our priorities in check.
You and I, each of us, have the unique responsibility of making the choice of how and on what we will spend our time, energy, and resources to accomplish.
The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. – William James
You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything. – John Maxwell
If we allow ourselves to be distracted by the demands pulling on us, we will begin to just hack at the leaves in front of us instead of dealing with the root issues.
Knowing the difference between the things that really should have our attention and the things that aren’t that important, is what PRIORITIES are. Without correct priorities you will be incapable of making correct decisions.
What’s Mine Is Cole’s.
I came home today for lunch (which I don’t do very often). After tossing the kids around for a little while I made myself a sandwich. So I piled my plate full of Nacho Cheese Doritos and sat at the table. (Check out www.doritos.com)
Cole wanted to sit next to me and I figured he would eat some chips off my plate. But when I got up to get a drink, he just grabs my whole sandwich and starts eating. He doesn’t think twice about it. He thinks whatever is mine, is his. And he’s right.
I love the fact that he never questions whether he is good enough or if I think he deserves it. He just enjoys all the things I have provided.
Excited About This Weekend!
At church I’m in a series of talks called, “Church Matters”. The last few weeks it has been great to share some of things God has put on my heart about how He wants me to lead the church. My biggest desire is that the people God has brought to the church will see the vision that is inside me and want to be a part of making it happen.
This weekend is really special to me because it is going to mark a new beginging in the life of the church. As I think about what God has called me to speak about, it actually makes me a bit nervious. In the natural I don’t know how it’s all going to work out. But in my spirit I know I’m walking out what God has told me to do. And that, gives me peace.