Resetting your priorities

Chris Bolinger Jan. 1, 2023

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"But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."

—Acts 20:24

Charles Hummel's booklet Tyranny of the Urgent became a bestseller because it recognized that most of us, when facing a choice between the urgent and the important, do the urgent. When we repeat that pattern over and over, we find that we rarely, if ever, have time for what is truly important.

The problem isn't a lack of time or even a lack of effort. The problem is priorities. How do we set them, or reset them, to ensure that we pursue what is truly important?

Like other Pharisees, Saul Paulus of Tarsus believed that, if the followers of Jesus were not stopped, then Israel's hope of restoration with God was in peril. So Saul's top priority was to stop these Christians. He started by leading a persecution of Christians in Jerusalem. Then Saul obtained from the high priest permission to travel to Damascus, arrest Christians there, and bring them to Jerusalem.

As Paul approached Damascus, his priorities got reset. Radically.

Blinded by a light from heaven, Saul heard a voice asking him, "Why are you persecuting me?" The speaker identified himself as Jesus and told Saul to go to Damascus and await further instructions. After three days, a disciple of Jesus named Ananias laid his hands on Saul, saying that Jesus had sent him so that Saul could regain his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Immediately, Saul had himself baptized as a follower of Jesus. The man who had been persecuting Christians suddenly had a new priority: ensure that other Jews became Christians. Saul went into the synagogues and boldly proclaimed that Jesus is the Son of God. He was so effective in Damascus that his former allies, the Jewish religious leaders, hatched a plan to kill him. Christians had to sneak him out of town at night.

Saul returned to his hometown of Tarsus. After many years there, Saul – now called Paul – decided to spread the gospel to the west. He started in Jewish synagogues, but it quickly became clear that many Jews would not accept his teachings and, worse, would persecute him.

So Paul changed his strategy. Rather than trying to convert Jews, he would try to get non-Jews to follow Jesus. For the rest of his life, the "Hebrew of Hebrews" (Philippians 3:5) became an apostle to the Gentiles.

Paul's priorities were reset twice: first on the road to Damascus and then on a missionary journey. Most of us would prefer to have a priority reset without being blinded or facing persecution. Is there an easier way to ensure that we're on the right path?

Hummel writes that Jesus had the right priorities because he took time to pray and get instructions from God. We can do the same. When we feel overwhelmed by life's demands, a time of prayer and meditation on God's Word can be like a time out in the final quarter of a close game. It enables us to catch our breath and get tips from our coach.

And then we can make the right play.

This devotion is an adapted one from 52 Weeks of Strength for Men.

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Chris Bolinger is the author of three men’s devotionals – 52 Weeks of Strength for Men, Daily Strength for Men, and Fuerzas para Cada Día para el Hombre – and the co-host of the Throwing Mountains podcast. He splits his time between northeast Ohio and southwest Florida. Against the advice of medical professionals, he remains a die-hard fan of Cleveland pro sports teams. Find him at mensdevotionals.com. Learn More »

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