Living in Increase (Part 12) - Increase in FocusSample

Priorities

Understanding your priorities is essential to achieving your goals. In a society where hustle and busyness are praised, it’s easy to catch yourself in the cycle of scheduling your to-do list rather than your priorities. Stephen Covey once stated, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities.” When you combine the importance of priorities with a prayerful focus on your daily schedules, you will find that much of your stress and anxiety will disappear.

There is a classic Biblical example of managing priorities with two sisters, Mary and Martha, in Luke 10:38-42. Jesus had been out traveling, and Martha invited Him into her home. Martha was distracted with all the preparations around the house to accommodate Jesus’ stay. Meanwhile, Mary was seated at His feet, soaking in everything He said. Amid everything going on, Martha says to Jesus, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve by myself? Tell her to help me” (Luke 10:40).

There are a few things we can take from this Scripture. First, Martha had many character traits that made her an incredible candidate to host a party for Jesus. She was operating in what was presumably her spiritual gift of hospitality. She was also determined and had a servant’s attitude to be able to put all this together.

Second, Martha invited Jesus over. I wonder if she consulted with Mary or took it upon herself to bring Him in. Did she maintain her priorities each day, or were her priorities piled up, making it harder to entertain at the last second? Often, opportunities will come to us at the last minute. We will miss opportunities if we are not responsible and committed to maintaining our priorities. It’s a work hard, play hard mindset.

Lastly, it’s also important to point out that busyness and faithfulness are not the same thing. God created us to work, but our importance and worth does not come from a busy calendar. Our society puts so much pressure on being busy that we often prioritize our to-do list rather than scheduling our priorities.

Can you imagine Jesus being at your house and walking up to complain to Him that your sister isn’t doing her chores? That’s essentially what Martha did. I can relate to Martha! I love to host dinner at our house, and when people are over, I get so caught up in making sure the house is clean and dishes are caught up that I miss the opportunity to spend time with the people I love.

Jesus responded to Martha by saying, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things but only one thing is necessary; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:40-41).

The “good part” is spending time with our Lord and Savior. Throughout Scripture, the greats in the Bible, including Jesus Himself, are recorded as “rising up early in the morning and going out to pray” (Mark 1:35). One of the best ways to meet your goals is to identify and prioritize your priorities prayerfully. Then, carve out time before your day starts to pray over them and the day ahead. When we prioritize time with God first thing in the morning, we permit Him to direct our steps throughout the day. God is a gentleman; He won’t force His purpose, plans, and vision on your life. You have to take time to invite Him in. It’s time to identify your priorities and ensure they are being stewarded so that you can seize the opportunity to “invite Jesus into your home.”

Lindsey Whitney

Action Step: Identify your priorities. Then, put these on the calendar first. Add in the rest of your to-do list after.