I was so pumped last Sunday when 295 people stepped up and said, “I want to own the vision of 217church!”  WOW!  This was a HUGE PRIORITY statement!   In addition to that, 17 people said its time to be baptized.  Owning the vision of a church means getting your priorities in order and surrendering your life FULLY to the Gospel of Jesus.  Does anybody else feel the tug of war?  The one between family and work?  The church and home?  The kids and marriage?  HOW do I prioritize?  Try this quote on: “When it comes down to it, the single most important activity in your whole day may be prioritization.”  This one has saved my bacon countless times with the wife and the boss (Jesus, He is the boss).  Without prioritization you lose focus and end up somewhere you never intended, often times in a knock down drag out with the boss or worse the spouse or kids.  I have compiled a short, simple prioritization process below that has helped me sift through the tug of war. I hope something here helps you.

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”  Proverbs 21:5

4 Steps to Living Your PRIORITIES

#1 Know what is important to you – This is about values.  Does the Gospel of Jesus own your schedule?  Your relationship with Jesus, the church and those who don’t follow Jesus yet?  Are you going to sacrifice irreplaceable time with loved ones for a newer car, a vacation home, a bigger house?  If you are single, dating, or planning to be married, you better be talking about this with your future spouse.  Please do this, or your marriage will suffer.

#2 Have a tool that works for you – (i.e. calendar, tasks etc.) This is about choices.  Are you willing to be disciplined?  I have coached & discipled many men who don’t and won’t schedule their life.  They end up losing their jobs, losing focus, and sacrificing their marriages and children.  Inevitably, this is the road to disaster. Here is a saying for you… “be sure your schedule will find you out.”

#3 Use the tool like a bad smoking addiction – This is about repetition. Prioritization is a daily, weekly, continual activity. Especially if you are just starting out, you will have to build disciplines into your life. You need to schedule time to schedule yourself.

#4 Over communicate with everyone – This is about consideration.  Who needs to know what you are doing?  You probably need to tell someone.  Are you willing to let your spouse trump your calendar?  With your family it is NOT better to ask forgiveness rather than permission. IT IS FOOLISH.  If I can give my boss 24 hour notice to missing a meeting it helps build credibility.  I am also finding it helps if my wife uses the same or similar tool as I do.

When all is said and done, You can always get another job, but you were created to have one spouse.  Let’s get our PRIORITIES in order!

So what are the NON-Negotiable activities in your week and WHEN will you do them?  Please comment below…

Josh

Josh is the lead pastor of 217church, a multi-site, contemporary church in Mercer County NJ planted in 2010.  217church is a family with small groups in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that meets Sundays in the Hamilton AMC24 Theater 9:30 & 11am and Grace Rogers School in East Windsor, NJ at 10:15.  Our new East Windsor Campus meets every Sunday.  If you are looking for a church in East Windsor NJ, Hamilton NJ, Mercer County, Middlesex County or Bucks County, PA, don’t miss our weekend services. Visit www.217church.com for more information.