What's the Motivation Behind our Priorities?

12.31.07

Well, here we go again. It’s the time of year when we wrestle with the priorities in our life and what we wish were our priorities. You know what I’m talking about, New Year Resolutions. We pause and think about what we want our life to look like; thinner, smarter, or in better shape, and then we commit to disciplines to get there.

In Romans 8:28, God says that HIS desire is to see the character and priorities of Jesus formed in us. We should pause and ask the question, “What are the priorities of Jesus’ life?” Over the next six weeks we will look at those, but first we need to think about what was the driving force behind them. Because God is as concerned with our motivation as our priorities.

Jesus said that, like a giant painting hanging on two nails, all commands and instructions hang on two things; love for God, and love for people. Everything in Jesus’ life was driven by love. We each need to ruthlessly evaluate our lives and ask the question; do my priorities flow out of love? In some ways that’s what we’re asking with the question, “Who do you surf for?”