To be a successful Christian leader, you need to give careful thought and attention to your priorities!
In Steven Covey’s best-selling book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, habit #3 is “Put first things first.” A hallmark of highly effective people is the ability to remain laser-focused on the most important personal and business priorities.
One of my old bosses (I forget which one) used to advise younger, full-of-energy employees like myself to “Keep the main thing, the main thing.” His advice, while seemingly simplistic, was intended to remind us to keep our focus on critical priorities while warning us to ignore the temptation to follow every shiny object opportunity.
I admit I struggled at times with sticking to the priorities I established. Sometimes, when I was surrounded by opportunity, I was tempted to make everything a priority. Of course, the downside of that logic is that when everything is a priority, nothing is a priority!
The other issue I faced establishing priorities is the temptation to set selfish priorities. Selfish priorities come in two varieties. Some serve you and the organization, while some serve you but not the organization.
I learned over time, through some harsh lessons, how important it is to give careful thought and attention to my priorities!
An excellent example of people not giving careful thought to their priorities is recorded in the book of Haggai.
Haggai Warns the People to Give Careful Thought to their Priorities
The people of Israel had been taken captive and held in Babylon for 70 years when the Persian emperor allowed them to return to Jerusalem with instructions to rebuild the Temple. The first year they were there, they rebuilt the altar to the Lord, restored some religious ceremonies (Ezra 3), and laid the foundation for the new Temple (Ezra 5).
The Israelites were off to a good start! They were putting first things first and keeping the main thing the main thing.
Then they stopped working on the Temple for 17 years until God summoned Haggai to call the people to account. God’s rebuke of the Israelites for abandoning their priorities is a warning for us today (Haggai 1).
1. Stop Procrastinating and Making Lame Excuses (vv. 1–4)
The Israelites had not only stopped working on the Temple for 17 years, but they had built houses for themselves. And not just ordinary houses but large fancy houses. Their excuse was that it wasn’t time to build the house for the Lord yet!
2. Give Careful Thought to Your Ways (vv. 5–8)
God challenged the Israelites to think about their priorities and their life. They had neglected God’s priorities in favor of their selfish desires for a comfortable lifestyle (housing, food, clothes, wine, and money).
3. Consider the Cause of Your Suffering was due to God’s discipline (vv. 9–11)
God challenged them to think about how they had been doing for 17 years. During the entire time they neglected building the Temple, they never had enough. They worked hard but never had enough of anything. The reason for their lack is that God had been disciplining them for focusing on selfish things instead of the things of God. Instead, God said, you should get busy and build the Temple. Then He would take pleasure in them!
4. Obey the Lord (v. 12)
Happily, the leaders and the people responded to Haggai’s message from God. They put aside their selfish desires and focused on God’s priorities by rebuilding the Temple the way they should have 17 years earlier!
5. The Results of Obedience (vv. 13–15).
The result of obeying God is that the spirit of God was on the leaders and the people, and they finished rebuilding the Temple in less than five years.
Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing
As Christian leaders, we need to keep the main thing the main thing. And for us, the main thing is always obedience to God. Knowing God’s calling for us should be the one priority that never changes in our lives. If we shift away from God’s priorities to selfish priorities, we are headed in the wrong direction! That’s why we need to give careful thought and attention to our priorities!
More Articles
I have written several articles on a leader’s wisdom. You can find them by typing “wisdom” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are a few of my favorites.
- #413: Are There Dead Flies in The Perfume of Your Leadership?
- #405: How Can We Be Godly Leaders in a Fallen World?
- #329: Three Critical Elements of A Biblical Economic Model
- #230: How Does the Greek Worldview of Work Compare to the Biblical Worldview?
- #175: Responding to the Rabshakeh Who Tries to Destroy You or Your Organization
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. How do you handle the many and sometimes conflicting priorities in your life?
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Category: Personal Development | Wisdom
