Law of Priorities

When planning your priorities, how do you decide what comes first?  That is the question I have been thinking on this week while processing the Law of Priorities in the 21 Minutes of a Leader's Day by John Maxwell.

Ephesians 5:15 says, "So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise." (NLT) 

Many people give the quick answer, "I will just follow God's leading today."  They don't plan out their priorities and just respond to how God prompts them.

While that can sound good, and probably their intentions are good.  God gives us a brain and intelligence.  And in order to follow God's direction, we do need to spend time with God.  

But instead of going moment by moment being "led" by God, what if we started the day asking God what His priorities for us are.  What if we started each week asking God his priorities?  What if we started each month, each year...  You get the picture.

I believe that He would rather guide and direct us in advance, and as we spend time with Him, He will prepare us for the work He has for us to do.  

There are disciplines that we can develop and ask God to direct us.  

• The discipline of a calendar. 
• The discipline of a task list.  
• The discipline of a block schedule.  
• The discipline of scheduling time to "work on it" as well as "work in it." 
• The discipline of time with a mentor or counselor.  
• The discipline of reading to learn or participating in seminars, conferences, and other learning opportunities.

These are all tools that, when we are seeking God first, can and will serve to help us work more in line with God's priorities for our day/week/month.