1 Corinthians 9:25 “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things…”
There is a very common list of priorities I have heard throughout my Christian life that are as follows (with some variations): God, Family, Ministry, Others, Career, Self. The idea behind this being God should first in our priorities; then our family; after that our ministry/church, then the others in a descending order or less priority. The idea being that God should come first, then family, etc. sounds great, but it never made perfect sense to me. I preached a sermon on this recently and I have included the video and audio links below that expands this article. I believe that this priority list, while well intended, actually causes us to be out of balance.
I believe there are four areas of priority that God has for our lives, I list them like this:
1. My faith – personal walk, obedience, holiness and growth in Christ
2. My family – making sure they are provided for spiritually, emotionally, and physically
3. My fellowship – my responsibilities as a church membership and my ministry therein
4. My fellows – my community and/or country, as a responsible citizen
The Believer, before God, has a responsibility to keep a balance of all of these things at once. These are biblical mandates as well as responsibilities before God. We should never neglect one for another. When we do, we end up getting unbalanced and out of sync in our responsibilities.
If over-emphasize my personal faith, I can neglect my family. When I over-emphasize my family – I can neglect my faith or fellowship. If my fellowship is first, my family will usually be hurt. When someone puts their country before all else, then they will no longer attend church at the government’s direction.
No, the proper of way to prioritize our life is to balance all of our priorities. There are so many things involved with that, there is no doubt we will need the help of an almighty God to do it, but we can do it when we are yoked up with him (Matthew 11:28-30). We will be able to fulfill God’s calling to grow in our walk; to care for our family properly; to be faithful to our church; and to be a good testimony as a citizen.
Mark 10:27 “And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”
Concerning our Priorities as Believers
1 Corinthians 9:25 “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things…”
There is a very common list of priorities I have heard throughout my Christian life that are as follows (with some variations): God, Family, Ministry, Others, Career, Self. The idea behind this being God should first in our priorities; then our family; after that our ministry/church, then the others in a descending order or less priority. The idea being that God should come first, then family, etc. sounds great, but it never made perfect sense to me. I preached a sermon on this recently and I have included the video and audio links below that expands this article. I believe that this priority list, while well intended, actually causes us to be out of balance.
I believe there are four areas of priority that God has for our lives, I list them like this:
1. My faith – personal walk, obedience, holiness and growth in Christ
2. My family – making sure they are provided for spiritually, emotionally, and physically
3. My fellowship – my responsibilities as a church membership and my ministry therein
4. My fellows – my community and/or country, as a responsible citizen
The Believer, before God, has a responsibility to keep a balance of all of these things at once. These are biblical mandates as well as responsibilities before God. We should never neglect one for another. When we do, we end up getting unbalanced and out of sync in our responsibilities.
If over-emphasize my personal faith, I can neglect my family. When I over-emphasize my family – I can neglect my faith or fellowship. If my fellowship is first, my family will usually be hurt. When someone puts their country before all else, then they will no longer attend church at the government’s direction.
No, the proper of way to prioritize our life is to balance all of our priorities. There are so many things involved with that, there is no doubt we will need the help of an almighty God to do it, but we can do it when we are yoked up with him (Matthew 11:28-30). We will be able to fulfill God’s calling to grow in our walk; to care for our family properly; to be faithful to our church; and to be a good testimony as a citizen.
Mark 10:27 “And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”
Balancing the Christian Life
Audio Sermon link: https://sermons.faithlife.com/sermons/787385-balancing-the-christian-life?_ga=2.246119876.1971305183.1628365938-660806639.1620358383
Video Sermon link (sermon starts at the 20 minute mark: https://amber-embed.faithlife.com/shares/btra1ue9FVBw40hh