AUGUEST THEME – “Seeing Revival From God’s Perspective”
Join us in prayer and celebration as Belmont Baptist Church celebrates our Year of Jubilee, marking fifty years of God’s amazing faithfulness and looking forward with grateful hearts to all He has yet to do.
BEATS FROM YOUR PASTOR’S HEART
IT IS EASIER TO PUT THE URGENT BEFORE THE IMPORTANT
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” — Matthew 6:33
Over the past several days, God has been exposing the subtle battles that take place within our hearts through this “Heartbeat” series. We learned that it’s easier to go than to grow because activity often feels more productive than spiritual maturity. Yesterday we saw that it’s easier to worry than to worship because our minds naturally magnify our problems instead of God’s greatness. Today we uncover another quiet danger that affects nearly every believer. It is easier to put the urgent before the important. We live in a world that constantly demands our attention. Phones ring. Text messages arrive. Emails accumulate. Schedules become crowded. Deadlines approach. Responsibilities never seem to end. None of these things are necessarily sinful. In fact, many are legitimate responsibilities. The danger is that the urgent can quietly crowd out what is eternally important. Satan often doesn’t have to lead us into sin if he can simply keep us so busy that we neglect our relationship with Christ.
The Urgent Always Speaks Louder Than the Important
One reason this battle is so difficult is because the urgent is loud while the important is usually quiet. A ringing phone insists on being answered. A calendar reminds us of appointments. Bills arrive with deadlines. Messages demand immediate responses. But spending time with God rarely announces itself with the same urgency. No alarm reminds us to pray. No notification appears telling us to read God’s Word. No calendar alert reminds us to encourage our spouse, disciple our children, or spend quiet time listening to the Lord. Jesus understood this battle better than anyone. Every day crowds pressed around Him. Sick people needed healing. Hungry people needed feeding. His disciples constantly had questions. Everywhere He went there were urgent needs. Yet the Gospels repeatedly tell us that Jesus withdrew to lonely places to pray. He refused to allow the urgent to crowd out His communion with the Father. If the Son of God needed uninterrupted time with His Father, how much more do we? Busyness is not always a sign of fruitfulness. A full calendar does not necessarily indicate a full heart. The most important things in life are often the easiest things to postpone.
Our Priorities Reveal What We Truly Treasure
Jesus did not simply tell us to seek God’s kingdom. He said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” That single word, first, reveals God’s concern with our priorities. We never accidentally put Christ first. It is always an intentional decision. The tragedy of modern life is not merely that people are busy. The tragedy is that many believers become busy with everything except what matters most. It is possible to build a successful career while neglecting your family. It is possible to stay informed about world events while becoming spiritually uninformed. It is possible to spend hours managing your schedule while spending only minutes with your Savior. One day we will not stand before God to give an account for how many emails we answered, meetings we attended, or errands we completed. We will answer for how faithfully we loved Christ, how intentionally we loved others, and how obediently we followed His will. Life is not ultimately measured by what we accomplished, but by what we prioritized.
The Important Always Has Eternal Value
Most urgent matters are temporary. The phone eventually stops ringing. The meeting ends. Another load of laundry appears. The grass grows back. New projects replace old ones. The urgent never stays finished. The important, however, has eternal value. Every moment spent in God’s Word shapes your soul. Every sincere prayer reaches the throne of God. Every conversation about Christ may impact someone’s eternity. Every act of love toward your spouse, every investment in your children or grandchildren, and every effort to disciple another believer produces fruit that lasts forever. Jesus continually demonstrated this principle. While others hurried through life, He stopped for people. He stopped for blind Bartimaeus. He stopped beneath the sycamore tree for Zacchaeus. He stopped for the woman who reached out in faith to touch the hem of His garment. People always mattered more than schedules because eternal things always mattered more than temporary interruptions. God has not called us merely to manage our time. He has called us to steward our priorities.
A college professor stood before his class holding a large glass jar. First, he filled it with several large rocks and asked, “Is the jar full?” The students answered yes. Then he poured in small pebbles, which settled into the spaces between the rocks. Again they agreed the jar was full. Next he added sand, which filled every remaining opening. Finally, he poured water into the jar until there was no room left. The professor then explained the lesson. If he had filled the jar with sand and water first, there would never have been room for the large rocks. The large rocks represented the most important priorities in life. Everything else had to fit around them. Our lives work the same way. If we fill every day with lesser things, we eventually discover there is little room left for Christ, our families, prayer, worship, or investing in people. But when Jesus occupies first place, everything else begins to find its proper place.
Every morning we make a choice, whether we realize it or not. We will either allow the urgent to dictate our day, or we will intentionally pursue what is most important. There will always be another phone call to answer, another responsibility to complete, another meeting to attend, and another interruption demanding our attention. But today’s opportunity to walk with Jesus, encourage someone, pray with your family, share the gospel, or invest in another person will never come again. Do not sacrifice what is eternal on the altar of what is merely urgent. Put Christ first. Seek His kingdom above everything else. The urgent may fill your calendar, but only the important will fill your life with lasting significance.
Warfare Prayer
Heavenly Father, In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, I confess that I have often allowed the urgent to crowd out the important. Forgive me for becoming so busy with the responsibilities of life that I have neglected the One who gave me life. Help me recognize the distractions the enemy places before me to steal my attention from You. Teach me to seek Your kingdom first each day. Give me wisdom to distinguish between what demands my attention and what deserves my devotion. Guard my heart from a life filled with activity but empty of intimacy with Christ. Help me to love my family well, to treasure Your Word, to value prayer, and to invest in people whose lives will echo into eternity. May every priority in my life revolve around Your glory. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.
Daily Challenge
Before tomorrow begins, identify the three most important priorities God has given you. Make time with Christ your first appointment. Then intentionally encourage one person and invest in one eternal relationship before allowing the demands of the day to consume your schedule. Remember: The urgent will always compete for your attention, but only the important will shape your eternity.
THURSDAY’S PRAYER NEEDS
Pastor Steve Craig – Went To Heaven Last Night
Rob Davis – cancer
Mary Williams – Rehab for Broken Hip
Kim McClain’s Mother