PRIORITIES

There is an old story of a swan and a crane.

A beautiful swan landed by the banks of the water in which a crane was wading about seeking snails. For a few moments the crane viewed the swan in stupid wonder and then inquired: "Where do you come from?" "I come from heaven!" replied the swan."And where is heaven?" asked the crane."Heaven!" said the swan, "Heaven! Have you never heard of heaven?" And the beautiful bird went on to describe the grandeur of the Eternal City. She told of streets of gold, and the gates and walls made of precious stones; of the river of life, pure as crystal, upon whose banks is the tree whose leaves shall be for the healing of the nations. In eloquent terms the swan sought to describe the hosts who live in the other world, but without arousing the slightest interest on the part of the crane. Finally the crane asked: "Are there any snails there?""Snails!" repeated the swan; "no! Of course there are not.""Then," said the crane, as it continued its search along the slimy banks of the pool, "you can have your heaven. I want snails!"

This fable has a deep truth underlying it. How many of us are daily sacrificing the riches of Gods grace for the snails of sin? One of the things I have learned is that my values determine how I set my priorities.

MATTHEW 6:23 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be provided for you.
What are the first three things that have priority in your life? Is it your relationship with God, your job, your family, or your car or house? What is the thing that you are seeking first? Is it the kingdom of God or the snail’s of sin? Whatever you do, you need to ask yourself if it has eternal value or if it is perishable.

Someone decided to calculate how a typical life span of 70 years is spent in terms of priority and this is what he came up with:

Sleep................23 years...........32.9%
Work.................16 years...........22.8%
TV....................8 years...........11.4%
Eating................6 years............8.6%
Travel................6 years............8.6%
Leisure.............4.5 years............6.5%
Illness...............4 years............5.7%
Dressing..............2 years............2.8%
Religion............0.5 years............0.7%
Total................70 years............100%

This morning as you plan your day I hope your spiritual walk with God will take priority and not come in last. There are many things that will be screaming for your attention today. The mistake many of us make is that we do all we can do then we give God the remaining time if there is any.Reverse the order. Give God all the time you need with Him and then let the other things fit within the time you have leftSeek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be provided for you

PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Learn to begin with God in your time, finances family, work, and then use the rest for other things.

-Activate.