Priorities of Life: Setting Your Priorities Right

© 2016 Anthony Bright Atwam. All rights reserved.

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Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Published by AuthorHouse 03/17/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5246-2904-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-2905-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-2903-8 (e)

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Contents

Dedication & Acknowledgment

1 Introduction

1.1 Book Overview

1.2 Importance of Prioritisation

2 Guidelines for prioritising your life

2.1 Know the season you are in

2.2 Listening to yourself verses taking in advice

2.3 Procrastination: An enemy of Progress

2.4 Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s

2.5 Test everything, and Hold on to what is good

2.6 The Use of Our Resources

2.7 Life opportunities

2.8 Mistakes some aspirants especially single people make

2. 9 Living for Eternity

2.10 Attending to the little foxes that spoils the vine

2.11 Balancing the main thing in your life with other activities

3 Prioritizing the direction of your Life

3.1 The Case of Naomi: A wrong economic migration

3.2 The lost Son and the joy of returning home

3.3 Discovering the best direction in life

4 Prioritising sacred things & common things

4.1 God is sacred

4.2 Certain People are Sacred

4.3 Certain Objects & Places are Sacred

4.4 Certain Activities are Sacred

4.5 Protecting & respecting the sources of your blessings

5 Prioritizing your Spiritual, Social, & Material Capitals

5.1 God is the provider of all Capitals

5.2 Spiritual Capital

5.3 Social Capital

5.4 How to build healthy and beneficial relationships

5.5 Material Capital

5.6 The unfortunate rejection of God as the source of all capital and its demise

6 Some examples of balanced priorities

6.1 The need to prioritize when something is entrusted to you

6.2 The need to prioritise family life, career, and your spirituality

6.3 Experiencing a miracle and living the Christian life

6.4 Balancing ministry and family life

6.5 Worshipping God at home, in the church, & in the public square

6.6 Balanced priority in Christian missions

6.7 Prioritising what happen in Christian gatherings

6.8 Being born again requires that you shift your priorities

Consulting Books

Dedication & Acknowledgment

Those who do not believe in God should give themselves some time to discover Him. It takes special grace to know this God. I dedicate this book to this Almighty God whom all praise is due.

I appreciate the love and the support from the many wonderful men and women who have served with me in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, especially those who proof read the manuscript of this book. Our labour in the Lord will not be in vain. We are going to heaven together! Amen.

Anthony Bright Atwam

(B.Sc, M.Sc, Cert Theo, MA)

Chapter 1

Introduction

In today’s busy world, many people hardly find time for the most important things in life. But the man or the woman who has learned to prioritise their life will be more productive, less stressful; can have extra time for more important things such as family, friends, career, God, the salvation of the soul, and ultimately make it to heaven after death.

The main aim of this book is to encourage readers to learn to prioritise their lives. This is because in life some things are important than others. God has ordered the world in such a way that some things demand urgent attention while others can wait for a later time. Unfortunately, rather than using less important things to achieve the objectives of more important things, many people major on less important things and minor on more important ones. Scripture tells us this in 1 Corinthians 6:12: ‘Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible but I will not be mastered by anything’. In life, some things are good, others too are bad. We have God, Satan is also around. A person reaps what he or she sows. But these are all choices you have to make.

The word ‘priority’ could be understood in three broad ways. Firstly, it denotes placing one thing as more important than the others in a given situation. The word priority could also mean superiority in rank, position or privilege. And lastly, it could mean the condition of being more important than something or someone else and being dealt with first.

1.1 Book Overview

This book is a six chapter volume, with each chapter dealing specifically with one issue. Prioritising things in life has not always been straight forward or easy. In the next chapter, we will look at some guidelines which, if followed can help you to prioritise your life. Some of these guidelines include the following: balancing the main thing with the rest of the other activities, and attending to urgent things first. The others include, knowing the season you are in; spending your resources on important things, as well as keeping what is yours, giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and giving to God what belongs to God (Mark 12:17).

Different seasons demand new life style or attitudes. Therefore understanding the different seasons you are likely to find yourself can be very helpful. For example, there is a time to invest and a time to harvest. Today may not be a good day, but tomorrow can be better. If today is not good, tomorrow will be better; and so you don’t have to worry unnecessarily about today if things are not okay; ‘each day has enough trouble of its own’ (Matthew 6:34). In the case of the farmer, he or she understands that the seed is for sowing, and the sowing is in anticipation of a bountiful harvest. Expecting to harvest when it is the season to invest is missing the dynamics of seasons. You may end up stressing yourself for nothing. One of our duties as humans is to know the right season for everything and making that season a priority while we keep a closer eye on other activities in our lives.

Closely related to this is the question of life opportunities. They come rarely, but when they do, they come to help us change the world around us for better. As Cesar Chavez once said, ‘It is possible to become discouraged about the injustice we see everywhere’. But God did not promise us that the world would be humane and just. God gives us the gift of life and allows us to choose the way we will use our limited time and opportunities on earth. When life presents an opportunity to you, this calls for a need to shift your priorities so as to make good use of such opportunity; another typical way of utilising the dynamisms of time and season.

There are things that can wreak havoc to our social, family, and spiritual lives if not attended to. I call this ‘attending to the little foxes that spoils the vine’. Examples of these in daily routines may include unreturned calls, un-replied emails, neglecting to wish a loved one anniversary wishes. All these little seemingly unimportant things can wreak havoc if attention is not paid to them. On morality, some of these little foxes are the many subtle common sins that can wreak havoc to our spiritual lives over time. For instance, there are little foxes such as pride, envy, irritability, evil speaking, evil thinking, lying and jealousy. These may have the potential to wreak our lives if not checked. And so you need to spot them out and deal with them as soon as possible. Jesus used strong figurative expression to convey the importance of getting rid of anything that has the potential to rob you of true life:

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell (Matthew 5:29-30).

When Jesus said get rid of your hand or your eye, He was speaking figuratively. He didn’t mean literally to gouge out your eye, because even a blind person can sin. But if that were the only choice, it would be better to go into heaven with one eye or one hand than to go to hell with two. We sometimes tolerate sins in our lives that, left unchecked, could eventually destroy us. It is better to experience the pain of removal (getting rid of a bad habit or something we treasure, for instance) than to allow the sin to bring judgement and condemnation. Examine your life for anything that causes you to sin, and take every necessary action to remove it. Jesus is so concerned about people’s salvation; He wants everyone to make it to heaven at all cost. Will you go to heaven when you die?

Finally in chapter two of this book, we will look at how living for Eternity can help us organise our lives properly. Rick Warren once said, ‘living in the light of eternity changes your priorities’. What is eternity? Eternity means to live forever with God on this earth and in heaven. It begins the moment you make Jesus as Lord and saviour (Luke 23: 42-43; Romans 10: 8-13). If we factor in the subject of heaven and hell in our dealings, we will be able to focus on those things that make it possible, thereby prioritizing them over others. In fact, you will be careful about what you do and what you do not do because you know that one day you will give account to God and depending on the verdict at the judgment of God, you will either be sentenced to hell or be granted access to heaven: ‘man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment’ (Hebrews 9:27). People who have a secular view of life do not want to believe that there is heaven or hell. This is a denial of reality; there is heaven, and there is hell.

I am very concern about the growing number of people who are left without any ultimate meaning to life. Many people are confused as to what direction of life to take. The promoters of secularism say human beings are simply high sexed animals who live only for the prestige and pleasures of this life. But can such a narrow view of life guarantee contentment and happiness of life? Can material things alone really satisfy the hunger of the human soul? Will constant care of the body alone satisfy the need of the human spirit? Discovering the purpose or direction of your life can be very liberating. Discovering the right direction in life can help you to use your resources more wisely, be more focused, and can give you a sense of purpose and a peaceful mind. One helpful question could be, where will your present lifestyle lead you to? Chapter three discusses how you can discover and prioritize the direction of your life. It discusses some necessary guidelines and uses examples from the life of two people to demonstrate how life can be very difficult if you find yourself on the wrong side of it. Furthermore, the examples demonstrate how life can also be joyous if you are able to discover the best way to live it. If the direction of one’s life is right, he or she will be content and be at peace irrespective of the prevailing circumstances. It is my prayer that as you read through the pages of this book, God will begin to open your eyes to discover the best direction for your life if you are not sure yet.

The lack of material capital can challenge some people to embark on a wrong journey of life. A biblical example that readily comes to mind is the story of a woman called Naomi (Ruth 1-4). In the same way, the abundance of material capital can also challenge some people to embark on a wrong journey of life; of moving them far away from God, their creator like the case of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). A material blessing does not necessarily bring us closer to God; and poverty does not either. What brings us closer to God is our response to God’s grace towards us in any situation we find ourselves. If a rich person will decide to response to God’s grace, he or she will be saved. In the same way, if a poor person will decide to response to God’s grace he or she will be saved too. To prioritise the direction of your life is a decision that should be based on sound knowledge of what is good and bad; let your decisions be based on absolute truth. Prioritising the purpose or the direction of your life is what chapter three of this book focuses on.

In life some things are special. Some people too have been divinely set apart for specific task in this world. Their purpose is to accomplish specific tasks for the betterment of humanity to the glory of God. When you come across any sacred thing or person, purpose in your heart to give that thing or person a high priority or respect since that very thing or person is meant to be a blessing to you. Many people disrespect or treat the very things or people who are meant to be a blessing to them with contempt to their own detriment. Chapter four draws attention to the sacred world, discussing how to place a priority on things or people who are sacred. The sacred or the supernatural from God point of view could be everything set apart for noble purposes. The chapter also discusses three categories of sacred things and suggest ways of approaching them so that you can benefit from the blessings that come with them.

In chapter five, we discussed Spiritual capital, social capital and material capital as very necessary needs for human survival. Still on the subject of placing priority, spiritual capital should be ranked first, followed by social capital and then material capital. But it is not always easy in practice to prioritize these three capitals. What is spiritual capital? The common definition of what it means to be spiritual in a secular sense is the search for meaning, values, and purpose. But I will go beyond this definition in this book. Here, I define spiritual capital as the strength or the capital we get from the ‘spiritus in order to spend or invest or use. The meaning of spiritus (spirit from Latin) is that which gives life or vitality to a system, or a human being. God, the creator of the universe is the ultimate reality of anything spiritual (John 4:23-24); therefore go to this God your creator, if you need true spiritual capital.

Material capital on the other hand, is mainly measured in monetary terms or material terms. Material capital is good, but not good enough to save the human soul from hell. According to the word of God, if you are able to take good care of your material capital, true riches (spiritual capital) can also be added to you as well by the Lord (Luke 16:11). One of the best ways to use your material blessings is to enjoy some and distribute the rest to the needy and come follow Jesus Christ, else it can be a hindrance to your salvation (Luke 18:18-30). ‘Food for the stomach and the stomach for food’—but God will destroy them both (1 Corinthians 6:13). Jesus says ‘The Spirit [of God] gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life’ (John 6:63). When God speaks to you and you believe you receive life: ‘The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being’ (Genesis 2:7). When Satan speaks to you and you believe you die spiritually like what happened to the first couple (Genesis 3); unless you later receive life from God. Jesus had to breathe the Spirit of God into the disciples before He could send them to share the gospel: ‘Jesus said, Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And with that he breathed on them and said, receive the Holy Spirit’ (John 20:21-22).

In this book, I have defined social capital as the strength, or the support, or the encouragement, or the love, or the inspiration we can draw from our fellow human beings to enhance our lives in order to achieve our God given potentials. Many at times, the source of the social capital for the individual is often overlooked and much emphasis is placed upon the individual’s ability to make contribution to the family, or to the organisation or to the wider society. In the same way, we sometimes mistakenly demand love from people who do not have what it takes to love us. The result of this tendency is that many people are feeling increasingly sapped, depressed, frustrated, and less effective. This is because most of these people do not even know where to turn to in order to be refreshed. In talking about social capital in this book, I am more interested in the source of this capital for the individual to function effectively. Whereas the other definitions I have quoted elsewhere in this book are more directed towards the individual’s contribution to a relationship, or an organisation or the wider society. If the individual is okay, he or she can be effective in any situation or role, if he or she wishes to. Carl Jung, the distinguished psychoanalyst who took psychology beyond Freudian view, once said:

If things go wrong in the world, this is because something is wrong with the individual, because something is wrong with me. Therefore if I am sensible, I shall put myself right first… in the last analysis, the essential thing is the life of the individual.

Sometimes, we are our own enemies of progress. We sometimes destroy ourselves because of our sinful condition. But if the individual is okay, he or she can be effective in any situation or role if he or she wishes to do so. But how can the individual be okay to make life worth living? One of the time tested ways is for the individual to look beyond him or herself and reach out and make good use of the vast resources available. The average person’s experience of life is limited by his or her ego. But there are many resources, spiritual, social, and material available to help the individual to become a better person. The subject of Spiritual capital, social capital and material capital are discussed in details in chapter five of this book.

Many people have lost precious things in life because they could not guard what was entrusted to them. This may be as a result of their inability to take care, or to protect what was entrusted to them. Chapter six looks at some examples of balancing priorities. Everything in life is a gift. Therefore, there is the need to prioritise when something is entrusted to you; being mindful of the people who get close to you; or who you even give your love to. Sometimes it may be necessary that you learn to pray more or change the circles of your friends or acquire new skills when something precious has been entrusted to you.

Chapter six also looks at the subject of worship of God. Worship creates an atmosphere for God’s throne to be established in any given situation or place. There are blessings which flow from the throne of God to the people. For example, when Paul and Silas were put in prison for delivering a girl who was suffering from demon possession, prayer and worship brought the presence of God into the prison cell and they were released (Acts 16:25-33). Exodus 23:25-27 tells us further benefits of worshipping God: ’Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span. I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. Please make the worship of God a priority in your life; it is your fundamental