The Root of the Problem (Part 13): Failure to Prioritize

The Root of the Problem: Why We Sin & How We Can Overcome

We live our lives according to what we have determined is important to us. Our actions, relationships, budget, and hobbies are all based upon our priorities. If something is not important to us, we will not make time for it. Things that we believe are important, we will sacrifice time, money, and effort for them.

As our lives quickly fill up with both necessary and unnecessary things, it is important that we have our priorities in order. Jesus tells us the proper focus we are to have:

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Spiritual things must take precedence over everything else. Seeking His kingdom and righteousness first will not only point us in the right direction but will also help keep us from sin.

Having misplaced priorities leads to sin. When we give certain things a higher priority than God, we will run into trouble. These things do not necessarily have to be evil in themselves. Even when we take good and necessary things and elevate them to a higher importance than our service to God, opportunities for sin will abound.

Our families should naturally be an important part of our life. Husbands and wives have responsibilities to one another. Parents are to raise their children appropriately. Strong, healthy family relationships, even beyond one’s immediate family, can be a very good thing. Yet despite how good and helpful these relationships might be, Jesus warns against valuing them above one’s relationship with Him.

Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:34-37).

Whenever a family is divided over the truth, we must side with the cause of Christ. If we have our priorities in order with God being first, the choice is simple. Any conflict with our family is sad and unfortunate, of course; but the choice itself is simple. Why? We value God above all else. When we place our family at a higher priority than God, then in times of conflict we will choose to be unfaithful to God rather than our family.

Beyond the family relationship, there is a natural desire to be accepted by others (friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc.). How much importance do we place upon this acceptance? Is their approval more important to us than God’s?

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).

We must make a choice. We can strive to please God, or we can strive to please man. Many want to have it both ways. They want to serve God, but they also want to be sure others think well of them. But Paul said these motivations are incompatible. Yes, we may please some men when we please God. Those that are pleased will be those who desire that God’s will be done in all things. But even then, our motive must be to please God, not to please those who follow God. Otherwise, if those we are trying to please should ever go into apostasy, we will follow them, or at the very least tolerate them, so that our relationship might be maintained. Our priority must be upon pleasing an unchanging God rather than pleasing and appeasing fickle man.

As we noticed in a previous chapter, materialism is a problem that leads to sin. Physical blessings are good. After all, they have been given by God (James 1:17). But we must keep these things in their proper perspective.

The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).

This world is temporary. Therefore, to place a high priority on the things of this world, even to the point of lusting after them, is severely misguided. It reflects an undue emphasis on the present time and the things that we can have now in this world. We must remember what is truly and eternally important.

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11).

For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6).

When we focus on the here and now, sin becomes more appealing. If we ignore the eternal consequences of our wicked behavior, we can often justify indulging our lusts. But no matter what pleasure we may be able to derive from sin, it will only be temporary. Moses realized this. It was one of the reasons why he is mentioned as an example of faith.

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:24-26).

The world and everything in it is temporary. God and everything He promises us is eternal. We have to consider this when setting our priorities. All that we might pursue in this life, from the approval of others to the physical goods and wealth of this world, pale in comparison with what God offers. This is why Jesus issued the following warning:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroys, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth and rust destroy, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

Jesus told a parable of a rich land owner who had a great harvest one season and needed to decide what to do with his abundance. This man was one who did not appreciate the uncertainty of time and had placed too great an emphasis on the physical wealth he had in this life. As a result, he neglected the state of his eternal soul.

And He told them a parable, saying, ‘The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?” Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.’” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?” So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God’” (Luke 12:16-21).

This man’s sin was not in being prosperous. Instead, his sin was in neglecting spiritual things so that he could focus solely on physical things.

Nothing is more valuable than our souls. Our souls are what was given to us by God that makes us different from the animals. It is the part of us that will live on in eternity. But where our soul will be in eternity comes down to two options. We can either be in a place of rest in the presence of God, or we can be in a place of torment, separated from God. It is easy to choose the desirable outcome. But it is often difficult for people to make the proper choices in this life to reach that preferred outcome. Jesus makes it clear, if we fail to reach heaven and lose our soul, it will be too late in the end to do anything about it.

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).

Where does sin appear on our list of priorities? Does it have a place there? Really, it should not be on our list at all if we truly value the things that are spiritual and eternal. Our souls are far too important to lose on account of anything this world has to offer.

Making Sure Our Priorities Are In Order

How do we make sure our priorities are in order? Ask yourself two questions:

  1. What can you obtain without God?
  2. What do you stand to gain with God?

In a purely hypothetical, best case scenario, the most that we can obtain without God is the world. Imagine that you could obtain this – you possess all the land and riches, all the people love and respect you, and you are free to do anything that you want to do. Then what? Eventually, you will lose it all. Even if you keep all of this for your entire life, you will still die one day. As God asked the rich man, “Now who will own what you have prepared?” (Luke 16:20). You cannot take it with you. No matter what you can obtain here, one day it will all be gone.

But what do you stand to gain with God? You do not have a promise of riches in this life. But you do have the promise of an eternal inheritance in heaven (1 Peter 1:4). Nothing in this life can compare with this reward. As Moses recognized, sin may be pleasurable, but its pleasure is only temporary. The reward of Christ is far greater (Hebrews 11:25-26). That reward is worth the effort to obtain it, even if it means having to suffer or give up the things of this life. If you are to do this, you must keep your priorities in the proper order.

Summary

You sin when you choose to sin. This reflects a failure to prioritize. If you are going to begin to remove sin from your life, you must make a conscious effort to put spiritual things first. Recognize that all the things in this world (relationships, wealth, pleasures) are only temporary. On the other hand, God’s reward is eternal and far greater than anything this world can offer.


This material is taken from the book, The Root of the Problem: Why We Sin & How We Can Overcome, published by Gospel Armory, © 2010.


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