The army first trains recruits in what they need to “BE”, then what they need to “KNOW,” and finally what they will need to “DO” in order to be a successful leader. God has given us this same principle in His Word, “Noble men make noble plans, and by noble deeds they stand.” God first instructs us to “BE” noble men, then to “KNOW” His ways so we can make noble plans, and finally to “DO” noble deeds. Paul starts many of his letters out with who we are to “BE” in Christ Jesus, tells us what we need to “KNOW,” and then in the latter half of his letters he brings it down to the practical applications we must “DO” as believers in Christ.

Before we can make noble plans we must understand the few things we cannot fail to do or everything else will be rendered inconsequential. Therefore we must identify the main priorities so we can keep the main thing, the main thing. Many of us prefer to jump right into busy work so we can accomplish something for God but Solomon warns us, The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want. (Proverbs 21:5). Taking the time to discuss priorities before planning will impact the extent of your fruitfulness, whether it will be 30, 60, or 100-fold.

1. Be Person Centered

Our first priority is to be person-centered in Christ Jesus. . Our hope of knowing and glorifying Christ lies in the priority of His centrality. (See Colossians 1:27) The man who discipled me always reminded, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing, and loving Jesus is the main thing.”

All of our needs are met in Christ Jesus; He fills our emptiness and transforms us into givers so we can minister to one another. Without Christ as our center (source and expectation for life), we will fall into the trap of being takers, trying to manipulate one another to meet our personal needs. One of the ways to center our family around Christ is to establish as a priority our personal and family times of devotion. Devotion can easily slip into duty, but the Word says, “*_delight*_ yourself in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4). I believe one of the greatest inheritances we can pass on to our children is our delight in the Lord. Ruth Bell Graham passed on this inheritance to her children, which she received from her own mother. She remembers seeing her mother delight in the Lord through His Word, and could not shake the fact that there had to be something more than she was experiencing from her reading of the Scriptures, so she continued on until she began to delight in Him as well. Our goal is hear the voice of the Lord daily for our specific needs. Each one in our family asks the Lord to point out something from the daily reading, something that would leap off of the page as a special verse that speaks to our heart, soul, or mind. We all have a journal and we write down at least one verse that has significant meaning to us for that day; then we turn it into a prayer or meditation for more journaling. The little ones get in the practice of journaling by simply copying out verses during our time of devotions.

h4. Activities to maintain a Person-Centered Priority

• Trust in the Lord for all things and acknowledge Him in prayer (Psalm 37:3).
• Delight in the Lord through daily reading of His Word and journaling (Psalm 1:2; 37:4; 112:1-4; Psalm 119).
• Study the Names of the Lord (Psalm 9:10).
• Give a spoken blessing affirming one’s noble identity in Christ Jesus.

2. Be Principle Governed

Our second priority is to be principle governed in our daily lives. (John 14:21) We must keep our eyes on the commands of Christ so we can navigate through life and develop the skillful art of wise living. The commands and character of Christ are the basis for a prosperous and successful life, and the commands are motivated by the wisdom (principles) of God. (See Joshua 1:8.) Scripture defines success as the ability to continuously make wise daily decisions that accumulate into successful days, months, years, and eventually produce a successful life. Prosperity in Scripture is equivalent to God’s Spirit coming upon us mightily. In His Spirit, we are prosperous whether we are in discomfort, like Paul the apostle who was able to rejoice in all circumstances, or are living comfortably in a family enjoying the gifts of God. Remember in the midst of all our learning to keep wisdom as the principle thing and get understanding while you are at it. By wisdom a household is built, by understanding it is established, and by knowledge its rooms are filled with all pleasant and precious riches (Proverbs 24:3). God has balanced each principle with a corresponding principle. The principle-governed priority is second because we must first hear God’s voice in order to know what principle(s)to apply in any given situation. “…He goeth before them, and the sheep follow [the shepherd]: for they know his voice” (John 10:4). If we apply truth according to our natural inclinations we may apply the principle of justice when God would have us apply the principle of mercy or vice-versa; or He may ask us to apply both principles in a way that they don’t disagree but harmonize with the will of God for a situation. (See Isaiah 55:8-9.)

Activities to maintain a Principle-Centered Priority

• Study the Commands of Christ.
• Study the Character of Christ.
• Trace the consequences in people’s lives to resisting the grace to follow God’s principles so the simple (children) can learn from the failures of those who scorn God’s Word.
• Have complex conversations about principles, preferences, and convictions. Research Biblical convictions together as a family so children can see how you arrived at a conviction.

3. Be Purpose Motivated

Our third priority is to embrace our calling to good works. (See Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 5:16, Titus 2:14.) We are His workmanship, designed for good works so others see Christ in them and glorify our Father, which is in heaven. We all have a bent, a special design for the things God has foreordained that we should do. One of our priorities is to discover these signature strengths and develop them to their full potential in preparation for the opportunities before us. Understanding God’s calling for our lives provides discernment for decisions, training, and opportunities. We are all called to love God and love others; then we often come to sense God’s pleasure as we serve a certain people group who are in need of something we are uniquely qualified and gifted to offer.

In the Old Testament Jehu was purpose motivated to do God’s will. He quickly carried out God’s orders to do away with the household of Ahab (see 2 Kings 9) and was praised by God for his quick obedience to fulfill the purposes of God. Jehu was successful in the short term but failed in the long term because he lacked a true intimate knowledge of God. He was not Person centered but self-centered. He lacked an understanding of the ways of God and set up worship practices that were contrary to the principles God established in His Word. The blessing of God was ultimately thwarted by Jehu, and his family line was wiped out because of his wrong priorities and idolatry. (See 2 Kings 10:28-31; 1 Kings 14:7-11.)

When we are person centered in Christ Jesus we experience the love of God. When we are principle governed we grow in the fear of God. With these two priorities firmly in place we will have the right purpose and motivation to do God’s will, in God’s way, with God’s resources, in God’s timing, so it will yield God’s blessings.

Activities to a Purpose Motivated Priority

• Search for rhemas from God’s Word. A rhema is the written Word spoken to our hearts by the Holy Spirit who teaches us all things we need to live Godly lives daily.
• Strategize with Life Purpose Planning.
• Discover your Spiritual Motivational Gift (Romans 12).
• Discover your Behavioral Style (DISC profile).
• Understand how God is working in you to will and to do His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).
• Develop your gifts and skills so you can contribute and add value to people’s lives.
• Serve people until you recognize God’s pleasure direction toward a certain people group who need what God has uniquely equipped you to offer.
• Learn how to make disciples.

When we understand our top priorities we can begin to set our goals. In the next article on planning we will begin to define the differences between goals and desires. So often we pray for our goals to be accomplished and assume responsibility for our desires, which is just the opposite of what God asks us to do. The following are some definitions to ponder until the next article is written.

Goals are objectives we can accomplish by God’s grace as we assume personal responsibility.

Desires are objectives we want, but cannot attain through personal responsibility alone.

Posted by Chris Hogan on Wednesday, August 22, 2007 at 08:43 AM