What do you prioritize in life? If you’re like most people, it’s natural to say things like “my job,” “my family,” “my friends,” “success” or even “my time.” It’s easy to get caught up in the various responsibilities, tasks, and goals that we all have, and hold natural human desires for control and personal power. While these priorities are understandable from an Earthly perspective, they neglect the spiritual priorities that God desires from the members of His kingdom. And, by His Grace, we are members of His kingdom.

Now, let’s pause and reflect on a question that offers profound guidance: What are God’s priorities for our life? Understanding God’s priorities redirects our values, actions, and relationships to align with His purpose. Let’s delve into the biblical priorities God has established for our lives.

Glorifying our Heavenly Father

The foremost priority in God, is our relationship with Him. We come to know our Creator best by glorifying Him. God created us, and then sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. Though it may sound a bit harsh, we should not be entitled to think that we deserve, well, anything, but by the Grace of God, we are here and we are forgiven for our sins. When we acknowledge how important this is to our existence, we then understand that through our belief, we have eternal life with God.

Our first priority when praying to God should be glorifying Him, which is exemplified in the Lord’s prayer – “The Our Father” [Matthew 6:9]. Glorifying God involves more than saying a prayer or attending a church service, however – it’s about building a personal connection where we seek Him, trust His guidance, and do things daily for His glory, not our own. This priority reshapes our mindset from “What should I do to get what I want?” to “How can I glorify God with my choices and actions?”       Remember, God does not become “good” once he answers your prayers (he’s not a magic genie that’s here to serve you); God is GOOD all the time (and it’s your priority to serve Him just as Jesus served us). He already gave us the greatest gifts – life and salvation – and for that, we can glorify Him daily.

Respecting God’s kingdom

The first of God’s ten commandments, recorded in Exodus, Chapter 20, verses 2-3, is this: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me.” This commandment leads us to recognize that God and His kingdom are all-powerful, not us. God enters our hearts fully once we see that He is our king, that Jesus is our Savior, and that His eternal kingdom has no end. God’s kingdom is His rule and reign and prioritizing it should be:

• A primary objective in our prayers
• More valuable than anything we have or are striving for
• A reason to sacrifice so that we don’t miss out on His kingdom
• Our prerogative over fleshly desires

Embracing God’s kingdom through a spiritual mindset helps us understand what God desires for us instead of focusing on our motivation for personal power plays. It allows us to make decisions in light of His imminent coming instead of to gain power, glory, and honor for ourselves, which is fleeting even if acquired for a short time.

Embracing God’s kingdom through a spiritual mindset helps us understand what God desires for us instead of focusing on our motivation for personal power plays.

Doing God’s will

Next involves pursuing God’s will. Finding the will of God is very clear about what it is:

• God saving us through Christ’s death, giving us salvation and having eternity with the One, Creator [Galatians 1:3-4; Ephesians 1:9; 3:11; Hebrews 10:9-10]
• Honoring the Son as the Father because the Son is also The Father [John 5:23; Philippians 2:9-11]
• God wants us to believe in Jesus Christ [John 6:29; Acts 22:14]
• He cares for the salvation of the lost [Matthew 18:14; John 1:13; 2 Timothy 1:13 (KJV); James 1:18 (KJV); 2 Peter 3:9]
• We are eternally secure, who believe in Christ [John 6:39,40; 17:24]
• God is very concerned with our sanctification, which is freeing us from the bondage of sin that holds us back from our eternal life with the Father. [Ephesians 5:17; 6:6; Colossians 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:13ff; Hebrews 13:20-21; 1 Peter 2:15; 4:2]

God’s Will, not ours, made us His people, and God desires that we follow the example of Jesus who obeyed His Father’s will as revealed in Scripture. As we grow spiritually, we begin to understand that we can make plans but God might override them and it’s up to us to obey His will which is truly in our best interest. Spiritual growth involves a continual process of transformation obeying His Will and leaving room for Him to interfere and intervene in our plans. Prioritizing God, His kingdom, and His Will forces us to lay down self-seeking, self-promoting mindsets and submit to His Will instead of rebelliously doing our own thing without care for Him.

Putting aside our agendas and prioritizing the well-being of others

Closely linked to our relationship with God is our call to love and serve others. Paul, in Philippians 2:2-4 talks to the Philippians about serving others humbly. “Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Jesus Christ taught that the second greatest commandment is to “love your neighbor as I have loved you” [Matthew 22:39]. Serving others reflects God’s love and demonstrates His Grace in tangible ways. Whether it’s through acts of kindness, volunteering, or simply talking to a friend or family member, our service to others is a direct outpouring of our love for God. And, this diminishes the selfish human quest for power.

Embracing God’s priorities

The priorities outlined above require intentional effort and reflection. To those living solidly in an Earthly mindset, they may seem pretty extreme. They don’t fit into our modern age where pleasure-seeking, selfishness, and comfort are the norm. But these are the priorities laid out by our God and fulfilling them requires humility, trust, and a heart devoted to Him. When we go to the cross of redemption every day, we are given this Grace freely and in this Grace we become free to an infinite God, instead of our own finite ways. Life changes as we know it.

In our pursuit to fulfill them, we will fail, constantly, but we will be forgiven as long as we seek God and His kingdom, of which we are members through Grace. Little do we know it, but we are building spiritual muscle and in our trials of life, we find ourselves pursuing putting God first. Then we begin to truly know we are loved.

In a world filled with messes, distractions, and competing demands, remember that God’s priorities for your life are designed to lead you into a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with Him that reflects His love and Grace for you.

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Blog by Dana Hornor