Establish your priorities

In order to fulfill God’s plan for your life, you must establish clear priorities and live by them each day. Author Edward de Bono quipped, “A conclusion is the place where you get tired of thinking.” Sadly, many people arrive at priorities based on where they ran out of steam. You definitely don’t want to do that. Nor do you want to allow others to decide your agenda or your priorities. Many ways exist for determining priorities. First and foremost, your plan must always line up with God’s will for you (see Hebrews 13:20-21). Jesus said, “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” Observe: (1) You must know that God has chosen and appointed you to a particular area of service. (2) Your goal in life should be fruit that “remains” after you. If you use them properly, things like money and influence can aid you, but they must never be your goal or your heart’s desire. So how can you establish the right priorities? As you get to know yourself better, begin focusing on your strengths and the things that make best use of your God-given skills. Consider what brings you the highest return and reward. Think about what you enjoy most and do best. Those are your core gifts. Utilize the 80/20 rule. Give 80 percent of your effort to the top 20 percent of your activities. Bottom line: Jesus said you are to give your attention to the areas that bear the most fruit.