Developing Godly Priorities

Beverly Moore October 7, 2016

This is the first class ("Developing Godly Priorities") in the second series of classes of the Women’s Foundation Series.

This series is geared toward women and will discuss how prioritizing, scheduling, time management, thought life, personal dress, speech and purity relate to our walk with God.

I. Welcome

II. Introduction

III. Developing God-Honoring Priorities

Our goal is to construct a framework and develop practical tools to help us live biblically ___________________ lives.

A. God’s Goal for Us

1. God’s goal for us is that we glorify Him by ___________________ Him forever.

Isaiah 43:7 Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.

Rev 4:11 11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for you created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

Deut 6:5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Psalm 30:20 …by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days,

Matt 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

1 Cor 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

2 Cor 5:9 So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. (whether dead or alive)

Col 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...

2. We glorify Him by showing to others the importance and "___________________ " of God as we live our lives in obedience to Him.

Deut 4:5-7 5 “See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. 6 So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him?

B. Idolatry – the Opposite of God’s Goal For Us

1. Idolatry is distance from God and closeness to a ___________________ /replacement god of our own making.

Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before me.

Deut 6:5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Ezek 14:2,3 Then the word of the Lord came to me (Ezekiel): "Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces."

2. In the book of Ezekiel, he denounces idolatry as ___________________ and prostitution.

3. We are very good at making replacement gods to hold close, adore, and worship instead of enjoying ___________________ to the one true God and glorifying His majesty.

4. All idolatry is ___________________, self-deceiving, and self-destroying.

Psalm 16:11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Psalm 145:16 You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

2 Cor 5:15 tells us that, "He (Christ) died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but FOR Him who died for them and was raised again."

Matt 22:37-38 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment.

5. Because we can know how idols are created, we are able to work on ___________________ them from our lives. James 4:1-4 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Two important questions you can ask yourself to help identify idols are as follows:

Am I willing to sin to get it?
Am I willing to sin if I don’t get it?

6. When my goal is to love, enjoy, glorify, and please God, I can live a more ___________________ life in contrast to a life of idolatry!

7. When I am perfectly satisfied in my relationship with God I don’t need to fill my life with attempts to get ___________________ satisfaction. (Psalm 145:16)

C. God’s Purpose For Us

God’s great purpose for us is that we become more and more like the one who loves Him, enjoys Him, and glorifies Him the most….___________________.

Romans 8:28-29 28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

Phil 2:5-11 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

D. God’s Priorities for Us

1. Priority #1. ___________________ Himself

Psalm 42:1 As the deer pants for streams of water, So my soul pants for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when can I go and meet with God?

Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”

2. Priority #2. ___________________

Titus 2:4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children...
Phil 2:1-4 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Proverbs 31:10-31 describes a godly wife. Her activities were centered on serving her husband and then her family.
Gen 2:18 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
Eph 5:22-24 & 31. Ephesians 5:22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. 31. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
1 Peter 3:1 In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, 2 as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.

3. Priority #3. ___________________

Prov 14:1 The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.

Prov 24:3-4 By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; 4 And by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches

a. Our ___________________. (Ephesians 6:4)

Deuteronomy 6:6 "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Eph 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

b. Our ___________________.

Eph 6:2 Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise)…
1 Timothy 5:4 4 but if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God.

4. Priority #4. ___________________

Eph 4:14-16 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Gal 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

5. Priority #5. ___________________.

Matt 5:13-16 13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

2 Cor 5:20 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Col 4:5-6 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

John 15:16 6 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

6. Summary: Life is about ___________________, starting with the very most important, relationship with God, and working out from there!

Matthew 22:37-30 And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' 40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

E. Questions to Ask When Setting Priorities

1. Starting with God, Himself, how am I making Him my top priority?

Do I have a plan for developing my love for Him? How do I adore God? How is my closeness to God being developed? Do I cling to God, as if He is my very life?
Am I reading Scripture, meditating on scriptural truths, contemplating God’s beauty, praying, fasting, spending time alone in silence, and preaching God’s truth to myself?
Am I at church whenever possible to learn more about Him? Am I having meaningful conversations with others from church where I am being held accountable for my growth as a Christian?
Am I changing and growing? Am I aware of ways I am different than I was?

2. Husband, if applicable.

Do I have a plan for developing my love for him?
Am I putting my ministry to him above other ministries?
Do I know what is important to him regarding my priorities?
Is he my friend? Is our friendship getting deeper and more delightful over time?
Have I asked him what is important to him and what he would like me to be doing more or less of?
Am I giving him the best of my time, or does he get the "leftovers"?
What can I do for him today to show him that he is my #1 human priority?

3. Family and Home.

Am I teaching and training my children? What are character qualities or behaviors I want my child to develop?
Do I know what their weaknesses and needs are? How am I building their strengths and helping chisel away at their weaknesses?
What can I do today to show them that they are a high priority in my life?
Do my parents have needs that I should be meeting?
How well am I managing my home? What areas do I need to work on? Are there home-making skills that I need to learn?

4. Believers. Roommate, brothers/sisters, closest friends

How am I encouraging other believers? How am I loving them? How am I serving them as individuals?
Who am I mentoring or discipling?
How am I contributing to building up the body of Christ?
Where am I serving? What's my ministry?

5. Unbelievers.