Priorities

A Biblical understanding for the specific order of priorities.

Transcript

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Hello and welcome to Become a Competent Biblical Counselor. I'm Dr. Dave Jones, and today's episode is entitled Priorities. I don't suppose there's anything that I talk more about in counseling, and what I could share with you today is the most important concepts that you could get across to people that you're talking with and trying to help, and that is priorities. We all have priorities, and I guarantee you that they are all different, and they're probably not in accordance to what biblical priorities are, and I want to share those with you today. We're going to start in Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 5. And I want to read this to you, and uh sometimes it's kind of lengthy, but there's five things that you have to understand in order of importance what the Bible says your priorities must be, and it's explained right here in this chapter. I'll be reading from the New International Version, starting in chapter five, verse one. It says, Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly beloved children, and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not even be a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people, nor should there be any obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure, no immoral, impure, or greedy person, such as a person is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore, do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are the light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, and find out what pleases the Lord becomes visible, and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is what it is said. Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Be very careful then how you live, not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God, the Father of everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So that is the number one priority that we all should have biblically. And what Paul is saying in this letter to the church is that your first priority should be your personal daily relationship to Jesus Christ. You want to know how to do that? It's just mentioned right there in chapter five, verses one through twenty-one. That's your number one priority, your personal daily relationship to Jesus Christ. So let's see, let's go on and see what the second priority is. And to learn this, we're still in chapter five, starting in verse twenty-two. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle, or any other blemish but holy and blameless. In this same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body just as Christ does the church, for we are members of his body. For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two shall become one. This is a profound mystery, but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. So now what is Paul talking about? The second thing he's talking about is your relationship with your spouse. Notice that in the first priority is your relationship with Jesus Christ. Second priority is the relationship with your spouse. So that's two of the five. Let's see what he says number three is. Now I'm starting in chapter six of Ephesians. Now Paul wants to talk about, get this, children, obey your parents and the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with the promise, so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. Fathers, do not exasperate your children. Instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. So the third priority is your relationship with your children. We've talked about number one, your number one priority is personal daily relationship with Jesus Christ. Number two, your spouse, number three, now your children. Let's go on. In the same chapter six, in verse five, slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both the master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with them. So there's number four. Your fourth priority is your relationship with your job. And if you're an employee, your relationship with your master or your boss. So number one, your priority is a personal daily relationship with Jesus Christ. Number two, your spouse is number two, your children are number three, your job is now number four. Let's find out what the final one is. The fifth priority starts in verse ten, where he says, Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the mighty power that he possesses. Put on the full armor of God, so that you may take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand, stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all of this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. So what is Paul talking about here? The number five priority in the listing of five priorities is your ministry. You have spiritual gifts, and you may be using those spiritual gifts in a ministry that you have. The important thing to remember is the five priorities are in Ephesians five and six. In this order, the personal daily relationship with Jesus Christ is your number one priority, not your job, not your work, not anything else. Your personal daily relationship with Jesus Christ is number one priority. Number two, your spouse. Number three, your children. Number four, your job, and lastly, your ministry. So many pastors will call me because they're frustrated that they can't take the stress anymore with respect to their jobs and their families are falling apart. Their marriages are not what they should be. And the reason is they have gotten their priorities totally out of order. They have allowed their ministry to be the number one priority in their life at the expense of a communication and a relationship with their wives and their children. Now please understand this very important concept that many people do not know and are not aware of what the Bible says about your priorities and what they should be. And once you get your priorities straight, everything else turns around the way that God wants them to. Study this, share this with other people that you'll be talking to, make sure that it's correct in your life as well, as you ensure that your priorities are number one, your relationship with Jesus Christ, number two, your spouse, number three, your children, number four, your occupation, and lastly, your ministry. Put them in order and live a blessed life.