Your Priorities 2

Luke 12:15 KJV

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

It appears to me that there's a race going on in our subconscious mind as we journey through life. It is s race to be bigger, better, finer, richer, more powerful, more connected, more privileged or more liked than the next person. Life has become a race where the first to cross the line is the winner who takes all the prizes available and leaves nothing for whoever comes second. The world has defined success, not so much in words, but in its attitude, showmanship and unspoken standards. We then pursue this standard, not even sure whose standard it is, or the inspiration and experience behind the standard. Instead of loving people and using things, the race-mentality has led us into loving things and using people to get ahead. There is a need to re-examine our lives again and check the standard- who's calling the shots and inspiring the procedures and principles that govern our lives? Who's telling us what to do, what to pursue and who to love? What is the inspiration for your life's goals, purpose, pursuit and direction? Is it the ever-constant God or the ever-changing world's standards? Because the world has no fixed roots, there's no way of measuring up to its standards. It changes its own mind because its principles are not rooted in Truth. It knows no permanence because it is guided by the shifty ruler of the world. What was the standard in the 70s has become termed as old-school now, while in the next 20 years, these same old-school thoughts may be the standards the world will pursue then. Why,then, would you live your life by the dictates and the direction of such inconsistent, unsure and biased standards and principles?
The thought in the passage today is fundamental to our life's pursuits and purpose: life is not measured by its duration or acquisitions but by its donation back to life. How many of us can remember the most rich men that lived in the past century? How many of us can forget the Mary Slessors, the Mother Theresas, and the other people who lived their lives by pouring out their own lives into other people?
God's greatest treasures are not measured in currencies but in people and only as you invest in people's lives can you get an adequate return on your investment. As I build up lives, God builds mine also. If I spend my entire life amassing wealth, just how much can I be certain that I can buy a space in eternity no matter how much I have. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his own soul? The rich young ruler had kept all the laws, yet felt empty and unfulfilled. Christ showed him how he could make impact and eternity by selling all he had. His reaction is so revealing: I would rather keep my possessions than follow Christ. His riches were more important than touching lives. Anything you own or hold that has more importance to you or has more value to you than a human life is the wrong pursuit or priority. Check your life again.
Someone once said: 'Never let a problem to be solved become more important than the people to be loved'. That's fundamental. His time of favour is here.