Weight Loss, God's WaySample

MAKING YOU A PRIORITY

Scripture Reflection

“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little … Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.” ~ Haggai 1:9 NIV

“Well-ordered self-love is right and natural.” ~ Thomas Aquinas

What do you think is the No. 1 reason people give for not exercising? If you said ‘time,’ you are 100 percent correct. And it may also be your No. 1 reason for not exercising and taking care of yourself as you should. The problem is not really an issue of time (or lack of it), but rather an issue of values—what is truly important to you? We give our time and attention to what we deem important to us. We say we want to lose weight, but more often than not, this goal gets bumped to the bottom of our ‘to-do’ list. So the real question becomes, "How important is losing weight to you?" Even though most of us would say it’s very important, we’re so ‘stuck’ in our current routine that it’s impossible to see how we could possibly fit anything else into the day.

In his book, The Purpose Driven Life, best-selling author Rick Warren teaches us that we have just enough time to do what God’s called you to do, and if you can’t get it all done, it means you’re trying to do more than God intended. Are there things in your life that take up too much of your time and don’t leave you time to do the things you really want? Then it’s time to take stock of what you really want and begin to reshape your schedule to make it a priority. 

In the book of Haggai, we learn an important lesson about prioritizing our time. God had given the Jews an assignment to finish the temple when they returned from captivity. Like most of us, they got busy, forgot their priorities, and grew apathetic to things that were once important to them. 

Through Haggai, God challenged them to action, “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house" (Haggai 1:9). Has God been calling you to rebuild your temple?

Today’s Health Challenge

Making you a priority will often mean resetting your priorities by saying no to many other things that are vying for your time. Your goal today is to say ‘no’ to all requests (non-work related) that are presented to you. Say no to all lunch offers, phone conversations, etc. Practice the art of saying ‘no’ all day long and share your experience with your accountability partner.

Today’s Confession

Father, I thank You that when I put You first, You teach me how to prioritize. My steps are ordered by You. I do first things first. I seek Your kingdom above all else and in doing so, You teach me how to make the most of my day. In all I do, I worship You. My time is in Your hands and You have blessed it and given me good success.