Priorities

I remember the story of a man who gave Andrew Carnegy a slip of paper with an idea on it and said, "Try this, and then send me what you think it's worth." The story goes that six months later Carnegy sent the man a check for $25,000. So what was on the slip of paper? A simple idea: write down the 10 most important things you need to do tomorrow. Then rank them in order of importance. Tomorrow begin with number one and work your way through the list, not leaving one until it is done. That idea has served millions of people well over the years.

Long before that idea, Jesus Christ presented a better one. In Matthew 6:33 He said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you."

Why is it that we find it so hard to do that one thing? Probably, for most, we don't understand what it means to seek first the kingdom of God. Perhaps we have no idea of what the kingdom of God is. Let me share a few thought I've been thinking about this. I hope they are helpful.

1. Anyone who has a kingdom, is an absolute, sovereign ruler. Therefore, what they say goes, without question.
2. Anything the Sovereign Ruler wants, He gets, immediately if not sooner.
3. If the Sovereign Ruler provides a handbook of how to function successfully in His kingdom, it would be wise to know what is in it and live by it if I want to get along in His kingdom.
4. If my primary concern is to be for His kingdom, then everything else, my needs, desires, etc. will have to take a back seat.

That being said, to choose to ignore these points is to create a life of frustration. The truth is, there are not prioritIES. There is only a priority. One thing. Learning this truth will not only enable us to live an abundant life as Jesus promised, it will keep us from a great deal of un-necessary stress.