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Doing What Matters Most
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”
Luke 2:46–49
None of us has enough time, money, or talent to accomplish everything that could be done. Every day we have to make choices about how we will invest what we have been given. Every night there will be things that did not get accomplished. Our task is to work to the best of our ability to see that the most important things are done. This requires that we identify what matters most, and dedicate ourselves to living so that those things are accomplished.
Priorities do not set themselves. You must purposefully set them and then resist the natural drift away from them. This will include saying “no” to some opportunities or activities that don’t contribute toward or that prohibit you from doing what matters most. But it is easier to say “no” to something when there is a greater “yes” burning inside. When you start by identifying your God-given priorities, it helps you identify that greater “yes,” making your needed “no” more clear.
The excuses that we often hear (or that we use ourselves) for why things that matter don’t get done usually reveal that it was what mattered most that was done rather than what was claimed as the goal. Many people lament what they have failed to accomplish without realizing that it was the choices they made that kept them from their goals.
Luke 2:46–49
None of us has enough time, money, or talent to accomplish everything that could be done. Every day we have to make choices about how we will invest what we have been given. Every night there will be things that did not get accomplished. Our task is to work to the best of our ability to see that the most important things are done. This requires that we identify what matters most, and dedicate ourselves to living so that those things are accomplished.
Priorities do not set themselves. You must purposefully set them and then resist the natural drift away from them. This will include saying “no” to some opportunities or activities that don’t contribute toward or that prohibit you from doing what matters most. But it is easier to say “no” to something when there is a greater “yes” burning inside. When you start by identifying your God-given priorities, it helps you identify that greater “yes,” making your needed “no” more clear.
The excuses that we often hear (or that we use ourselves) for why things that matter don’t get done usually reveal that it was what mattered most that was done rather than what was claimed as the goal. Many people lament what they have failed to accomplish without realizing that it was the choices they made that kept them from their goals.
Today’s Growth Principle:
When our hearts are filled with what matters most to God, we will devote our lives to the truly important.
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