Boomerangs and Priorities

I have enjoyed a wonderful week of Vacation Bible School. Our team of workers has been fantastic and the kids have had a large time. Our theme this year took us to Australia and the title was Boomerang Express: It All Comes Back to Jesus. VBS encouraged us to remember no matter what happens in life that Jesus is the most important part of it all.

Kids learn these lessons so easily. What about us old people? Maybe the old saying is true that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. The older we get the harder it is to learn this one important truth:

He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything. – Colossians 1:18 (bold part added for emphasis)

How do you determine your priorities for life? Most people would set out to make a list beginning with those things we deem most important. One such list might look something like the following:

1. My relationship with God
   
2. My family
   
3. Georgia Tech football
   
4. Work
   
5. Church
   
6. My favorite hobby
   

The list could go on to include other things. The above list may or may not resemble yours, but we do tend to "list" our priorities, and those of us who are conscientious about our relationship with God would certainly put that at the top of the list.

Look closely at the verse above from Colossians and notice the part I put in bold typeface. Paul challenged us NOT to let Christ have first place above everything, but in everything. Do you see the subtle yet very important difference?

Jesus does not desire to be one item on a list of many – even if He is the TOP item. When we surrender to Jesus as Lord, we allow Him to shape and influence everything else on our lists. We study the Bible, pray, and exercise our faith to become more like Jesus and more like the man or woman He wants us to be. We relate to our family the way He desires, we work on our jobs in ways that honor Him, we serve in church to glorify Him. We make Him the central focus of everything else we do.

Is it time to reorder your priorities? Is it time to take Jesus off the top of the list and insert Him into every other item on the list? Do you allow Jesus to shape and influence everything else you do? He wants to have first place not on your list but in everything on your list. When all is said and done . . . it all comes back to Jesus.