Pursuing His Priorities
1 Step Closer: A monthly e-devotion from Abiding Savior in Killeen, TX
Pursuing His Priorities 5/2023
“First plant your fields, then build your barn” (Proverbs 24:7).
Among the greenish glens of Scotland is an estate encircled by a massive stone wall ten feet high and wide enough for a Shand cycle ride. A main gate coming out of the battered earth with towers and iron gates reminds one of Buckingham Palace. Only one little problem. The owner spent so much time on the encircling wall that he couldn’t finish the interior. Exterior was more important than interior. Facade took priority over factuality. My friend, you’re not making that mistake, are you?
This proverb is a distilled admonition on priorities. Undefined priorities are at the root of much of our success-or-failure frustration. Personal livelihood (fields) before one’s own comforts (house). Time with God to let him love me with his grace before time with people to love them by his grace. A bit of Bible before books, business, or binge-watching. The spiritual before the secular and wife and family right after Jesus - then the rest! Jesus then becomes Covey’s “yes” you use to say “no” to the rest. “Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready, after that, build your house” (Proverbs 24:7).
Ronald Warwick, captain of the luxury cruise ship Queen Elizabeth II, questioned a passenger who paid full fare for his dog to join them on an around-the-world cruise. Accommodations range from $25,000 to $150,000. “Wouldn't it have cost less to leave him at home?” “Oh no,” the man said. “When we are away a long time, the dog’s psychiatrist fees are so high, it’s less expensive to bring him along.” When we let the tail wag the dog, as we all do at times, we so easily lose sight of what is truly wise. Ask yourself, “Am I seeking first Christ's Kingdom and his righteousness and then trusting him that all my human concerns will be met by his mercy?”
The Empire State Building has 103 stories and is 1, 250 feet of finished product. Ten million bricks, 6, 000 windows, and 60, 000 tons of steel framework constitute this 92-year-old architectural marvel beautiful both inside and out. Listen to this! Its total weight is 303, 000 tons. Go to Midtown Manhattan today and still see it standing against the sky in resolute beauty. Why, with all that weight and the wind is it still standing? Before going up vertically a quarter mile the builders went down, down, down with columns of steel and concrete into an underlying stratum of granite - 55 feet 8 inches.
Make sure first things are first. Avoid that outward display, which shames the inconsiderate builder, who begins to build his house without having thoroughly prepared his work.
Building on the Rock with you,
Pastor Tim