Aligning Priorities with Spiritual Values

The man who came to the Lord seeking salvation appeared to have a strong spiritual bent, but he was discouraged when told to sell his wealth and give to the poor in order to follow Jesus. This was likely due to the fact that he valued material possessions highly and his words and deeds did not match up with his moral principles.

If we are not careful, our priorities can get out of control. In these situations, it can be difficult to face the truth of the situation. When someone asks us what our top priorities are, it is tempting to answer according to what we feel should be the most important. As people, we often think that putting the things that are most important first will help us get closer to our goals. For example, we may want to put spiritual activities like prayer and Bible study first, thinking that we will take care of other obligations later. But this does not always mean that these activities are our highest priority right now.

What really matters is what we do now, not what we have planned for the future. That's what the Lord looks at. We will have no chance of a happy afterlife if we are not truthful with ourselves about what is really important to us and if we do not make the required adjustments to live according to our values. Before we lose the ability to change our priorities in the future, we need to ask ourselves some honest questions about what our true priorities are.

Even while outsiders might not fully comprehend our goals, they are more objective than we are. When we are left with nothing to do, our thoughts naturally turn to our real issues. Our minds automatically drift toward our passions and interests, as if drawn by a magnetic force, without our having to concentrate on any one subject. It is dishonest for someone to say that their spiritual development is their main priority if they say that they only meditate when they intentionally choose to.

Most of the time, our conversations revolve around whatever is on our minds. The fact that the Lord is rarely brought up outside of church meetings is noteworthy and suggests a noteworthy pattern. The majority of people frequently struggle with a lack of free time, which prevents them from fulfilling their desires. All people, however, have a certain amount of free time that corresponds to their own tastes. From my observations, families have made use of their vacation time to travel to different places for religious meetings or lectures. You would probably believe them if they said that their dedication to the Lord is unrivaled if you saw how they used their leisure time.

On the other hand, there are people I've known who, while complaining all their life about not having enough time to serve the Lord, spent the most of their retirement years enjoying themselves, which resulted in a decline in their religious observance. It's critical to recognize that when it comes to how we spend our time, our actions speak louder than words. It can be annoying when priorities don't align, particularly when scheduling is involved. Because we are unable to be in two locations at once, we are frequently obliged to pick one event over another. This choice becomes problematic since it contradicts our stated values if we give worldly pursuits more weight than the things of the Lord.

Our underlying convictions and ideals are truly put to the test when we have to make difficult choices because our priorities don't align. These are the times when we find out whether or not our faith actually leads us. How can they really figure out what their priorities are, one would wonder? Observing their behavior and time management strategies will reveal the solution. As they say, you can't have it both ways—you can't serve God and money at the same time. Where you direct your excitement and energy speaks volumes about your priorities.