3 Ways God's Priorities Need to Trump Ours

If we were to make a list of our current priorities, most of us would factor in gas prices, inflation, grocery bills, businesses closing, the decline in the stock market, decreasing value of the dollar, and the rising cost of utilities. This list by itself would make a rich man doubt if he is to make it financially in our world today. When we worry over our future provision, we must ask ourselves what exactly we are seeking and what are the priorities in our lives. Most of the world would admit it is health, wealth, and the comfort of living for tomorrow. Sadly, the believer still concerns himself or herself with these matters.

We realized during the pandemic that these concerns are beyond our control. The church and our spiritual life are relegated to “second fiddle” when we place priority over provisional worries. Believers are sometimes the worst for worrying about these issues even though Jesus told us in Matthew 6:33 to “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Yet, we continue to disquiet ourselves over our salaried wage and whether it will continue to meet our monthly budgetary needs. Later in our careers, we begin to use online calculators to see if we are saving enough for our retirement.

We must understand that our provision is a great priority of the Lord. Our Savior in Matthew 6:25 taught us that we can not serve two masters and “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” This assurance certainly does not mean that He wants us to sit idle with our arms folded and mouths open, waiting on manna. However, we are not to overly stress over matters of sustenance beyond our control. Psalm 127:2 tells us that “it is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.”

Here are three ways we need to let go and let God’s priorities take precedence over our own priorities:  

Nourished By the Word

Jesus in Matthew 6:26 explained, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” He then asked, “Are ye not much better than they?” Most of us have been sustained by food that we did not grow, grain that we did not sow, or fruit that we did not reap. We have never had to worry about food on our tables. The menu or limited fare may not have been what we desired, but even those days of Ramen noodles and bologna sandwiches are usually the seasons that we look back on in delight. The Lord has always provided for our needs, yet we often ask ourselves, “is my job going to be around next year?” or “how much more grocery inflation can my budget handle?”

One preacher once calculated the cost for our country to feed all the wild birds each year. The burden would be so large it would bankrupt our economy if we were responsible for their sustenance. Just as the children of Israel were fed by God with the manna in the wilderness, Jesus explained they do not sow, reap, or store reserves in barns; yet, they are fully provided for by Him. David in Psalm 37:25 wrote that in all his life, he had “seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” Certainly, there are people in our country and in the world who struggle for food, but in David’s experience, he had never seen a righteous man or his children in need of food.

John Calvin, in his commentary, noted the remedy us for “us to rely on the providence of God: for all cares, which go beyond bounds, unbelief is the mother.” Our priority is the kingdom by ensuring that our family, our friends, and neighbors are sufficiently fed and nourished by the Word of God.  

Telling, Not Taller

Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:27 that we must accept some things are out of our control by asking, “which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” Many parents pray for a seven-foot-tall son ripe for a college scholarship and then later a retirement income source. Too many parents tell their sons and daughters they are the most intelligent, most athletic, most talented, and best-looking people in their school. If we are honest with ourselves, we are conveying “false truths” and setting our children up for disappointment and bitter failure. We do the same thing for ourselves when we attempt to fit in with worldly standards.

The prophet Jeremiah 10:23 understood, “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Johnny did not make the basketball team because he just is not that good and never will be. Susie was not passed over by the beauty contest judges because one of them is related to the winner. Just as we are unable to add inches to our height, we cannot make ourselves or our children into something they are not. Not all of us are wired to be athletes or rocket scientists. No matter how much he or she studies or practices shooting three-pointers, athletics is just not in the cards for some children. We worry over our children being the most popular and the most gifted student. When they achieve academic or athletic honors, we boast about the accomplishment.

Our priority, however, should be the instillation of the importance of a relationship with Christ through the study of the Word of God, prayer, and being active within the local church. It is a relationship with the Lord and growth by the direction of the Holy Spirit which makes us and our children who He wants us to be. He supplies all of the provision for His will and His direction to come to fruition in our lives. Consider how much time and money we have wasted trying to become something we will never be. Calvin wrote, “It is foolish in men to weary themselves, because all our labors are unnecessary and fruitless, and all our anxieties are to no purpose, unless so far as God bless them.”    

Clothed In Humility and His Righteousness

For some reason, we all feel better in designer or name-brand clothing. We even walk with purposeful “pep in our step” when we have on our “good clothes.” Many of these shirts and pants are made with the finest materials and are just plain comfortable against our skin. We spend entire paychecks on designer clothing, and many times they feel like sandpaper on our skin. We desire them and work harder for them anyway. We worry about how our clothes present us more so than their warmth in the winter or functionality in the summer. Jesus reasoned in Matthew 6:28-30, “consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Surely, we should desire ourselves to be presentable, but the materials of our clothing is not to be our concern each morning.

In 1 Peter 5:5, the apostle taught the youth to submit to his elders and “be subject to one another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” Job wrote at 29:14 that he “put on righteousness, and it clothed me.” Our righteousness is Jesus Christ, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are directed to be humble people. Our status is not dependent upon whether we wear Jordans or Jordache. Our confidence comes not from donning Calvin Klein or Louis Vuitton. Both our confidence and righteousness are hand-me-downs from our Savior who imputed His attributes within us. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:30, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” When we become one with him through salvation, we are clothed with His righteousness. 

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/oatawa 

Chad Napier, while an attorney by trade, his passion is filling the pulpits of local churches when needed and engaging a broader audience with his writing. He enjoys running and golf and recently completed his degree at Dallas Theological Seminary. Chad lives in Jonesborough, Tennessee with his wife Brandi and one-year-old Welsh Terrier LuLu.