PUTTING YOUR
AFFAIRS IN ORDER
There are
certain milestones in life
that are met with resistance, such as turning forty, accepting our gray
hair or
lack of hair, and being given the “senior discount” when you don’t even
qualify
for it! That last one just happened to me recently at the movie
theater.
Another milestone is more solemn and it can happen at any age. However,
it
usually occurs later in life when illness strikes; we are confronted
with the
need to “put our affairs in order”. Without any explanation you
understand the
meaning of these five words. You are being asked to create a plan to
deal with
the threads of your life that will be left dangling when you die. It
can cover funeral
arrangements, financial matters and even the disposition of your
“stuff”. This
process can be very cathartic because through the mechanics of dealing
with the
mundane we are forced to think about what is truly important; such as,
what
have we done with our life and what would we change.
Wouldn’t
it be great if we “put our
affairs in order” right now to reap the benefits of reflecting on the
direction
of our lives? Take some time this week to ponder the “order” of your
life; what’s
truly important. We all have an “order” of importance for living.
Unfortunately, what we say is
important does not often pass
the reality check of the way we make
daily decisions. Get
ready to “check your pulse” and begin “sorting it out”, so you say what
you
mean and mean what you say.
CENTERING ON
REAL-LIFE EFFECTIVENESS
Set
your
priorities. When asked what the greatest commandment was Jesus replied
with “Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your mind.
This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it:
Love
your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39). Recently I heard Phil
Payne,
who is a missionary to Ecuador say, “God doesn’t want to be on the top
of your
priority list, He wants to be your list!” God needs to be the priority
in
everything we do and in every relationship we have. Examine your
calendar to
see “who” and “what” are the real priorities in your life; if needed,
ask God
to help you set some new priorities.
Organize
your
life around your priorities. Here is where the rubber meets the road.
Now that
you have examined your calendar and developed a new sense of what’s
truly
important; you have the “life changing” responsibility of planning your
life in
response to that insight. If you are serious about making changes based
on your
priorities, it won’t be as difficult as you might expect. It just takes
a
little discipline to develop new habits. Joshua said it this way,
“Choose for
yourselves this day, whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15). Every day we
have to
make decisions based on our priorities. Keep this formula in mind:
“God’s Heart
+ Our Strengths = A Divine Calling. Once we experience that “divine
calling” we
are forever changed.
Resource
what’s
important. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be
also.” (Matthew 6:21). Along with our calendar, our checkbook is an
indicator
of what’s important. When our priorities change, the way we spend our
money
will also change. Be prepared for some withdrawals (pun intended). The
link
from our old priorities to our checkbooks can be very strong.
Trust
that
everything will be okay. “Putting our Affairs in Order” can be
traumatic,
especially if we have been off track for a long time. Jesus promised us
that if
we “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” that “all these
things will
be given to you as well”. (Matthew 6:33). He was talking about the
internal
struggle that we experience over “serving money” as a god or “serving
Him” as
God; and that when we get it right, the things we were so worried about
will be
provided for us anyway.
Have
a good week, “Putting Your
Affairs in Order” and have fun “Sorting it Out”!
Del
Brixey
"Sorting
it Out”
CHALLENGED
TO THE CORE
P.O. BOX 414
LAKE ARROWHEAD, CA 92352-0414
