Priorities
Do you struggle to keep your priorities in the right order? I certainly do! It can be quite frustrating at times. We try to keep our husbands happy, take care of the kids, manage a home, keep on top of all the outside activities, keep up with extended family, and suddenly, there is no time left for us, nor time to spend with the Lord.
Psalm 1 gives some wonderful insights into how to change this merry-go-round that seems to spin out of control. Verse 2 tells us the godly delight in doing everything the Lord wants. Hmm…..how many times do I find myself doing things everyone else wants me to do? That happens more often that I care to admit. Perhaps that is our problem. Sisters, we need to learn to say “no!” If you don’t think you can say no up front to someone who asks you to do something, train yourself to say, “Let me pray about this and discuss it with my husband, then I’ll get back to you.” This will train you to be a God-pleaser, rather than a man-pleaser. You will learn to pray before saying “yes,” and it may lessen your load because you may discover that God wants you to cut many activities from your life.
The second part of verse 2 says the godly think about God’s law day and night. This means they take time to read the Word, meditating on it until it is in their spirit. This way, even when they are going about their daily grind, they can still be thinking about what they have learned. This takes practice and diligence. Ok, I can hear some of you saying, “I just don’t have time for this!”
Verse 1 tells us the godly don’t follow the advice of the wicked. We may claim to not have time to read the Word, but how often do we turn on secular TV and listen to the ungodly advice given there? How often do we pick up a magazine or newspaper and read ungodly advice in those pages? Verse 1 also mentions the joy the godly have because they aren’t filling their spirit with ungodly advice.
This verse also tells us the godly do not stand around with sinners. In other words, they find wise, godly friends who will be like iron sharpening iron. The godly also refuse to sit down and get comfy with those who scoff the very Lord they serve. Yet, how many times do we sit down and turn on a situation comedy to relax and wind down for the night? Often, these shows portray the fathers as idiots, and they frequently make Christians look like morons.
Verse 3 tells us the godly bear fruit in each season. If we make time with the Lord a priority in our lives, it will enable us to stand firm regardless of what comes our way. We can bear fruit:
n when going through a desert experience,
n when the children are squabbling,
n when a family member is ill
n when our marriage is in a rut,
n in the midst of a job loss,
n while grieving the death of a loved one.
I don’t know about you, but with the trying times in which we live, I’m finding much more life in the Word than on television. It refreshes my spirit and gives me hope, even when the evening news makes me want to tremble in fear.
Do your priorities need to be adjusted?
© 2008, Stacy R. Miller
Proverbs 31 devotions | 
