What do you do to make sure that you get to the most important things in your life? Basic competence in life requires that we do certain things like…
- Show up to work on time
- Pay our bills on time
- Pay our taxes on time
- Maintain our house, car, etc.
If we fail to do any of these things the consequences are pretty drastic. We could lose our livelihood, our possessions, our home, or even our freedom. We find a way to get these things done.
In order to enjoy a measure of health and well-being there are some other things that also demand our attention even though the consequences of not doing it are less immediate, even though even more drastic.
- Exercise, watch what we eat
- Get checkups for cancer, heart disease, and other conditions
- Develop good driving skills and habits
- Treat injuries and illnesses
The consequences of failure in these things can sooner or later cost us our life. For that reason we work on these things even if we don’t do as good a job as we would like. We find a way to get these things done. The principle holds true where our life as believers is concerned. Over and over again Jesus connects our perseverance in the faith with faithfulness in hearing and studying His word. Over and over again. Jesus connects falling away from the faith with neglect of His word. This leads to a simple checklist.
- Hear and read God’s word regularly
- Receive His gifts of word and sacrament regularly.
The consequences of ignoring this checklist are worse than any of the others. How do you find a way to get these things done. God knows us and our situations better than we do ourselves – by far. He Himself has given us direction that will help us build these things into our life.
- Set aside the same time every week to worship God and to receive His gifts, (Hebrews 10:25)
- Begin and end the day with prayer. (I Thessalonians 5:17)
- Carve out a few minutes each day especially to read His word, converse about it, and pray. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
After all, it’s a matter of putting first things first – for our eternal life!
John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”