Dear Brothers and sisters in Christ
I have been asking God the Father to show me what His priorities are for me this coming fall/autumn. I try to do this on a fairly regular basis in order to make sure that His priorities for me and my priorities actually line up. My heart’s desire is to walk in deep fellowship with Him and to do that I need to know what is on his heart for me.
Now I would love to tell you all that I have a great formula to figure out God’s will for my life, but I would be lying. What I do have though is a revelation from him that I would love to share with all of you.
As I was asking him what His priorities for me were, I felt the urge to write down all of the things that I am involved in as a mother, wife, friend and minister of the gospel.
I categorized my life into columns of things that were important and relevant to me, like home, kids, marriage, me time, ministry etc. I am sure that you are getting the picture. Then I asked myself these questions:
What do I feel are my responsibilities to each of these people in my life
- What do I personally have to do
- What can I get others to do
- What are the most important things that I have to do
- Will the world end if they are not done
- How am I going to schedule me time in the midst of what is required of me
- What does God see as the highest priorities
- Which ministries are the ones that the lord wants me involved in and why
- What is the motivation of my heart to be a part of a ministry
I was shocked at how long my list of things that I had to do was. I felt overwhelmed at the thought of it all and truly wanted to crawl under a rock and stay there until the storm had passed.
Thankfully, God is our strength and reminded me of something so simple and yet so profound. I remembered that simple verse that says: Seek first the kingdom of God and then all of the other things will be added unto you.
Well of course that is the truth but when you are in the midst of a two page list of things that you know you have to juggle, it can seem overwhelming. Then the lord in his great mercy led me to the following verses which showed me his true priority and purpose for my life. Surprisingly it was not what I was thinking it was but something way simpler.
Don’t get me wrong, my list of things are important as they have to get done, but living the way God wants me to live in the midst of doing all the other things is far more important to him than not.
Here are some of the insights that I received from reading these verses.
Ephesians 5:1,4,15-21
1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children
2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
- God tells us in his word that He wants us to imitate him. Well in order to do that I need to know who he is and what he does and why he does it. I can find that out in his word as I make a habit of reading and searching scriptures daily.
- I need to purposely live a life that reflects the love of God within me, giving of myself to those around me just as Jesus did.
4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
- I need to purposely set a guard on my heart and mind in order for my lips to speak life and not death to those around me.
- Recognizing the blessings that God has poured into my life will produce a harvest of thankfulness that will also come out of my mouth.
- 15Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,
16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. - I need to make every effort to live my life wisely. How do I do that? I ask the lord for his wisdom and he will give it to me, as he has promised to do that.
- Part of gaining wisdom is reading a chapter of Proverbs a day; you would be amazed at what you learn in there.
- I need to make the most of every opportunity that presents itself to me to spread the love of God and his message of salvation to those around me. The bible teaches that it is wise for us to teach others about the gift of salvation that we have been given.
17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
- The will of the lord is one of the most important things that we need know as a Christian. If we do not know his will for us and our lives we will be like a big ship that is tossed back and forth on a stormy sea with no sails. It cannot sail out of the storm as it is broken. The same with us, if we do not purposely set out to know and find out what the will of God is for our lives we will wander around aimlessly. (God is our sails and he will lead us into the paths that are good for us) Not knowing and understanding the will of the lord for our lives will rob us of the deep satisfaction that comes from knowing that you are doing exactly what God created you to do. God’s will and his priorities always line up together for us.
18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
- I need to choose to not fill my body and mind up with things that would limit the Holy Spirit from working in me. If I am drunk on wine and lose the ability to function in a full capacity then I am of no good to anyone around me. The Holy Spirit cannot reach me and I cannot hear him.
- Now before you all start sending me nasty grams, I am not saying that a glass of wine with my dinner is bad. But when you purposely set yourself up to get drunk it will be unlikely that you will be able to be led by the Holy Spirit. You will be then led by your own flesh, which wars against your spirit. So be wise in your actions.
- God wants me to be rejoicing in him in all things and always.
20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Thankfulness is a trait of a person whose lives reflect God. He has given us so much to be thankful for and we need to show our appreciation to him for all that he has given and done for us.
- Trust me, when you are giving thanks to God for what he has done for you, he will fill you with a joy that goes so deep that you cannot even begin to describe it.
- So make it a habit to thank God for everything big and small in your lives. This will also show God that you respect and honor him by obeying what he has taught you to do.
21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
- Last but not least, I need to submit to my brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as my husband, pastor and all others that are placed in authority over us. This we need to do gladly and again out of respect to God for what he has taught us to do. Pride will undoubtedly rise up and say no way, but part of walking humbly with God is to obey those whom he has set in place in authority over us. We also need to be willing to serve those around us all of the time, and in this way we will honor God as well.
I pray that as you read the scripture and the insights that the lord has given me that you will understand; that it is not what we can or should do for God but what God wants to do in and through us.
I no longer feel the pressure of all of my own priorities, but rather I can come before him with confidence to confirm his priorities for my life. I pray that in Jesus name, you will do the same.
God Bless you.