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We’ve all heard it, said it, and/or lived it:

We’ve all heard it, said it, and/or lived it:. “If I just had more time…” “I just don’t have the time right now…” “The older I get, time just goes by faster and faster…” “Time is the problem right now…” Then there are the more (and not so) famous ones: “Time flies when you’re having fun…”

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We’ve all heard it, said it, and/or lived it:

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  1. We’ve all heard it, said it, and/or lived it: “If I just had more time…” “I just don’t have the time right now…” “The older I get, time just goes by faster and faster…” “Time is the problem right now…” Then there are the more (and not so) famous ones: “Time flies when you’re having fun…” “Time heals all wounds…” (but according to my friend Gary Rodgers, “Time also wounds all heels!”) “Lack of time is a real health killer.” (MariluHenner, actress and self-proclaimed health & fitness expert; and “no,” she probably had no idea what she just said!) “The supposed great misery of our century is the lack of time.” (John Fowles, English novelist and essayist)

  2. But with all due respect to Mr. Einstein, “Time is not relative, there are 60 seconds each minute, 60 minutes each hour, and 24 hours each day for everyone.” (PCS, preacher and flunky) “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.” (ZigZiglar, author & motivational speaker) And, “We don’t have a ‘time’ problem, we have a ‘priority’ problem.” (PCS, preacher and flunky)

  3. Is God really “first” in your life? Matt.6:33 Does He take priority over: • Work? • School? • Family? • Friends? • Pursuits of pleasure?

  4. Is God really “first” in your life? Matt.6:33 I understand that faithful to God does not directly equate to faithful in local attendance, but did you realize that: • Our Sunday Morning attendance went from an average of 120+ in March to 95, 141 (Easter), 106, and 83 so far in April? • And that we actually had more on the sick list in March than April? • That our Sunday & Wednesday evening attendance is roughly (and sometimes barely)half of that on Sunday morning? • Now, if you were the preacher, or one of the Elders, would you be concerned with our priorities?

  5. Is God really “first” in your life? Matt.6:33 This is not going to be a lambasting sermon. And I will not in this lesson accuse anyone of having misplaced priorities. But I do think it prudent for us all to re-evaluate our priorities individually to be sure God and His will comes first in our lives. After all, it is one thing to have “an ox in the ditch,” (Luke 14:5) It is another matter entirely to build a fence around the ditch to keep him there!

  6. Is God really “first” in your life? Matt.6:33 With regard to Work? • All husbands/fathers have to work to provide the necessities of life for their families, Gen.3:17-19; 1Tim.5:8. • But let’s be honest here- most of our income is not spent on necessities either, 1Tim.6:8-9. • If we’re failing to put God first to work so we can buy more and more luxury things for ourselves or our families, surely there is a priority problem.

  7. Is God really “first” in your life? Matt.6:33 With regard to Work?(continued) • Certainly there are times and situations which require a temporary setting aside of our spiritual duties to attend to a physical one, such as Jesus cited in Luke 14:5. But ask yourself a few questions: • Is this situation beyond my control, or am I choosing put work before God? • Are there things I could do to make this situation better that I have not done? • Am I doing the best I can to put God first in this situation until I can do better, or am I just using “work” as an excuse to set aside my duties to God? • Which comes first in your life- workor God?

  8. Is God really “first” in your life? Matt.6:33 With regard to School? • Parents, do you help your children to understand the importance of putting God first by: • Emphasizing spiritual over secular education? 1Cor.1:18ff • Emphasizing spiritual over curricular or extra-curricular activities? • Children, do you, when given the choice, choose spiritual over school work, functions, and activities? • Put another way, do you miss more “church for school” or “school for church”? • Again, there are times when the choice is not necessarily yours to make, but when it is, which is your priority? • Which comes first for you- school or God?

  9. Is God really “first” in your life? Matt.6:33 With regard to Family? • Read with me a couple of passages: • Luke 14:25-26 • Matthew 10:34-39 • Now, after reading these passages, do you put God before your family? • Do you compromise your spiritual priority and commitment(s) for you family? cf. Luke 8:19-21 • Certainly, there are times when emergencies demand the setting aside of our spiritual priorities to attend to the physical needs of our families- and it would be wrong not to do so, but do we otherwise make our families a greater priority than God? • Who really comes first to you- your family or God?

  10. Is God really “first” in your life? Matt.6:33 With regard to Friends and Pursuits of Pleasure? • I combined these two categories because they often go together. • Do you arbitrarily set aside spiritual duties/obligations to be with friends pursuing activities of pleasure? • How would you feel if the Lord returned while you were at the spa, the mall, the concert, the ball field/game, the woods, the lake, the golf course, or the wherever instead of worshipping and serving Him? Matt.25:1-13 • Several passages in Ecclesiastesindicate that God wants us to lead “happy” and “enjoyable” lives, but no passage indicates that we should set aside our spiritual commitment to God to do so! • And related to the above, what are you teaching your children about spiritual priorities when you put these kinds of activities before God, or allow them to do so? • Who is really first in your life- youor God?

  11. Is God really “first” in your life? Matt.6:33 Conclusions: • This lesson is not about numbers on a board. • It is about what I fear those numbers may represent with regard to our priority choices. • It is very easy to become selfish with our time when it comes to making God our first priority every day. • But it is also easy to become selfish with our time when it comes to putting God first when there are opportunities to worship and study together. • As encouraging as having 80% attendance on Sunday mornings in February was, it is equally demoralizing to see only 50-60% attendance on Sunday/Wednesday evenings each month. • Is God always your first priority, or does work, school, family, friends, and pursuits of pleasure sometime relegate Him to a distant second (or third, fourth, etc.)? • Only you can really answer that question- but we all really need to consider it!

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