Our priority is Christ. Jesus is coming back soon.
At the rapture, others risk staying if they don’t learn to give priority to Christ. You can’t have two masters at once: Mammon and God. This is not possible. It’s all a question of the disposition of our hearts.
Remember, in Luke 10:38-42, Mary took advantage of the opportunity of God’s presence, put everything aside and placed herself at the feet of the Master Jesus, without any distractions. But Martha didn’t seize the opportunity.
We need to put our efforts into walking with Jesus as a priority, so we don’t miss out on heaven.
1 Corinthians 9.
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Athletes race for prizes, and they make sacrifices and train hard to win.
Beloved, that’s what we need to do, because when walking with God isn’t a priority, it’s going to cause problems.
What are we looking for in this world? It must be God. We go to work, of course, but what we have to want is God much more than money. It must be a priority.
When we have the opportunity to pray or listen to the word, we must seize it immediately.
Priority cannot be imposed; it’s a personal decision.
To the point where the person who takes the decision to make God his priority, his inner attitude will change. That is, if God is our priority, then in a moment of prayer, you won’t be distracted, playing, sleeping, cooking, doing something else when it’s time to pray. This will change the habit, and even the person’s character.
The way we look at things is going to change.
Our habit is formed by the way we do things every day.
For example, at prayer time, when you have to raise your voice and you don’t, once, twice, and so on. It will become a habit in your life.
Or when you get into the habit of being distracted, of not listening, this will create bad habits within you. But when you’re given instructions, you’ll find it hard to follow them because of these bad habits. So the heart has its own way, which is not God’s way.
Those who run to win a prize set themselves priorities. There are things they’ll do and things they won’t do to win the prize. They will seize any opportunity to run better or faster.
Our behaviors, our ways of acting, our ways of doing things, we have to be careful with these things, they are things that can prevent the Christian from winning the race.
There are bound to be sacrifices to be made.
Whoever is running on the track, but eating at the same time, will win the race? No, because price is not his priority: eating is. Having two priorities doesn’t win you the prize. Because you can’t be running and still be thinking about doing your laundry, or wanting to sleep.
At that point, the desire to eat, sleep, do laundry… has to be sacrificed. So you can focus solely on winning the trophy.
Those who don’t do this will be developing bad habits.
In the spiritual world, every time something is said, it becomes like a law.
When God tells us, when we get home, we have to pray. For those who listened, it’s written in heaven that this instruction was given, because it’s linked to the grace Christians are to receive on that day. Whoever doesn’t obey, gets used to having a disobedient heart, which doesn’t follow, which is distracted, which doesn’t have priority.
What should be done?
1 Corinthians 9. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
The sacrifice that the athlete makes, we have to do more than that, because for us, it’s an incorruptible crown. If you have to get up at 5 a.m. to pray, you have to. And if you’ve been praying, and you see that it’s good, you have to program it constantly. And even when you take part in a group prayer, you need to be more prepared.
That’s why those who look for gold, once they’ve found the gold mine, don’t stop and keep digging. Because every time we dig, we strike gold.
The priority must be the Word as Mary and Jesus approved. Luke 10. 42.
We all have time, we can’t be busier than God. But in the West, there’s a mindset that makes people think they don’t have time.
Time is not found during working hours, but before and after working hours, we have time. Let’s not fall into bad habits or waste time.
Let’s ask the Lord to help us in every way. Let’s make Him our priority. Develop the habit of asking what you don’t understand in the Bible, or in the habit of coming out of your weaknesses and downfalls.
Is the effort you put into your job the same as the effort you put into serving God? Are you prompt in the same way?
Brothers, let’s repent and develop good habits from now on. What is good is what we must do, and even always seek to improve our relationship with the Lord.
Being obedient and prompt, being on time, attending meetings to advance the kingdom, seeking to gladden the Lord’s heart, sanctifying ourselves, being faithful in prayer & meditation, spreading the testimony of Christ, fearing God…are good habits to develop.