We all have priorities in life, whether we fully recognise them or not. We may have a priority in keeping fit, for instance. Whether this is really true will be shown by how many hours in the week we spend on activities to keep us fit. Or we may have a priority to reduce our carbon footprint on the earth. Again, whether this is really a priority will be shown by what we are prepared to give up to make this happen (e.g. stop eating red meat, no more plane flights, steadily reducing and replacing our use of fossil fuels like petrol and gas).
Doing an audit of how we spend our time and how we spend our money will reveal our true priorities … and we may be surprised or disappointed with the results. Scrolling through social media or watching Netflix might actually turn out to be our priorities.
Whether you love or struggle with the writings of the apostle Paul, his letters give insight into his priorities, none more so than in chapter 3 of his letter to the church in Philippi. Raised as a faithful and zealous Pharisee, Paul’s priorities focused on keeping of the Jewish Law. But after encountering the risen Christ, Paul’s priorities changed completely. The things he valued previously he now regards as worthless – garbage – compared with the greatness of knowing Jesus.
Paul is very clear that he will put aside those parts of his life that don’t contribute to this goal of knowing Jesus Christ. Instead he will focus all his energies and abilities on furthering his relationship with Jesus and helping others also come to know Jesus. He compares himself to a runner in a race who has their eyes focused on what lies ahead.
Perhaps you find Paul’s priorities and passions rather intense and even intimidating. Perhaps Paul didn’t have a regular job to take up his time or a family to look after. But perhaps Paul grasped – or had been grasped by – a person so attractive that this reset his priorities. What would it take for us to be grasped in a similar way? And how would this change our priorities?