Tired of the To-Do-List?

So much to do, so little time…

Do you ever feel like that? I know I do. So how long is your to-do list right now?

I’m writing this smack in the middle of the Christmas season. There’s no end to all the things that I’m trying to do right now!

We spend a lot of our time trying to make life more manageable, and one of the default ways we manage our time is to compartmentalize things…

THIS is important.
Eh…that is not so important.
Now, THIS is a priority.
That?…not so much.

And the beat goes on. Over and over, we parcel out our time as best as we can according to what matters most, and we adjust as we go.

While it’s true that we can’t get through life without making these decisions, sometimes we end up forgetting a simple truth: Everything matters….Yes, everything!

Here’s how I know everything matters: Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.”

Did you catch that?? God is using EVERYTHING – every relationship we have, every painful experience we walk through, every opportunity we encounter, every job, every seminar, every moment!! – to accomplish His good purposes in our lives.

Every detail of every person matters to God.

The Bible also says we will be called to account “for our works” and “every idle word” (Matthew 12:36, Romans 14:12). So even the words we speak, and everything we spend our time doing, matters in the big picture.

And if we needed any more proof, the ultimate demonstration that everything matters to God is that He sent Jesus to redeem humanity and all of creation…. All of it! God sent Jesus, who is infinitely valuable, for each of us and for the created world. That means that we also have infinite value to God!

So since everything matters to God, including our minute-by-minute decisions…what does that mean for our everyday lives?

The Apostle Paul has an awesome answer for us in Philippians 1. He prayed for the Philippian church to “understand what really matters” – because prioritizing in the way that God does helps us live in a way that brings Him glory.

And according to Paul, the key to prioritizing in the way that God does is…love.

(Isn’t LOVE always the answer…??)

So here’s the deal…if we devote ourselves to deepening our relationships with God, and ask Him to fill us with His love – love for Him, love for people, love for the things that move God’s own heart – everything else will fall into place.

That sounds crazy simple, but it’s true! Our priorities get naturally re-organized into
Heaven’s priorities for us, when our motivation for every decision, every interaction, every situation…is love.

When we take a fresh look at our priorities and see them through God’s eyes, we realize that it’s time to get out there and lead with love…and we will live what really matters.

Questions to think about:

1. What are the things that have been taking the majority of your attention?

2. How do your perceived priorities line up with God’s vision for your life?

Prayer for today:

1. Let’s pray that we can see our to-do list through God’s eyes.

2. Let’s also pray that God would fill us afresh with His love – love for Himself, love for people, love for the things that move God’s own heart – and that everything else will fall into place in our lives.