Priorities | Wayne Stiles

Archives For Priorities

This Can Help You Not Compare Yourself with Others

Someone else’s stuff always seems better than ours. Yes, always.

Even their struggles seem better. Have you noticed?

The temptation to compare yourself with somebody else can be devastating in the Christian life.

Apple and Orange they do not compare This Can Help You Not Compare Yourself with Others

(Photo: By Michael Johnson, CC-BY-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

When Peter first met Jesus, the fisherman followed the Master out of a motive for glory and a prime seat in the kingdom of God. Peter wanted to be the “greatest” in comparison to others.

But after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, a single conversation along the shores of the Sea of Galilee at Tabgha changed Peter’s whole frame of reference.

That conversation can also help you not compare yourself with the lives of others.

It can free you to follow Jesus as an individual.

Trying to Understand God’s Plan for You

Tough circumstances of life always change our minds about God.

They either tempt us to doubt what He’s promised, or they draw us closer to Him in faith. But we never stay the same.

Trying to Understand Gods Plan for You Trying to Understand Gods Plan for You

(Photo by Photodune)

God’s plan for your life is revealed and tested in times of struggle.

If you’re struggling today, don’t miss the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of God’s plan for you.

Joseph shows you how.

What if Your Busy Life Isn’t Productive?

I used to have an old car with a funny way of handling cold weather.

In the mornings I’d turn on the headlights, the heat, the rear defrost, and the radio. Everything was fine until I got to an intersection and turned on my blinker.

When I did, the radio blinked off and on.

What if Your Busy Life Isnt Productive What if Your Busy Life Isnt Productive?

(Photo by yellowj, via Vivozoom)

The small drain from the blinker was more than the power source could handle.

Many mornings I feel like my old car. Every ounce of energy is already being used, and if even one small additional drain is required from me, the overload starts shutting down my system.

We’ve all been there. A busy life means little margin. And often, little productivity.

Jesus told a story that directly addressed the busy life of a believer.

Why You Should Avoid the Path Of Least Resistance

Taking the path of least resistance is a fact of nature.

Rivers always flow around a mountain because it’s easier than going through it. Electricity will always move through a circuit along the “easiest” route. A car is designed aerodynamically for the least resistance to wind.

Human nature is no different. Unfortunately.

Why You Should Avoid the Path Of Least Resistance Why You Should Avoid the Path Of Least Resistance

(Photo by Perry from Ottawa, Canada. Fading. CC-BY-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

We tend to do that which is easiest, often to the neglect of that which is best.

It’s easier to read a magazine than to read your Bible.
It’s easier to sit in front of the TV than to spend time with your kids.
It’s easier to lose your temper with your spouse than to control it.

Following the path of least resistance can become a habit that guides our lives. We make choices based on what is easiest, most pleasant, or least painful.

But God has a better plan for you.

Twas the Night AFTER Christmas Poem

I’ve decided that during the holiday season we should change the mall’s name to “maul.”

I’ve never seen such mayhem—kids running, parents screaming, angry people in long lines—all to the music of “Joy to the World” in the background. Good grief!

86133588 w Twas the Night AFTER Christmas Poem

(Photo by Stephane Bidouze, via Vivozoom)

If you decide to head to the “maul” the night after Christmas, you’ll see more of the same chaos—a rush of returns in exchange for . . . even more . . . stuff.

So in honor of these days after Christmas, I’ve decided to try my hand at rewriting Clement Clarke Moore’s Christmas classic.

Here she goes. (Ahem.)

Walk the Path of Wisdom without Falling Off

The connection between between the first steps we take in making a decision and its final outcome often seems unrelated.

Walking the path of wisdom or the way of foolishness has domino effects far greater than we can imagine.

Grant park in the fall milwaukee Walk the Path of Wisdom without Falling Off

(Photo by Indy Kethdy. CC-BY-SA-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

For us, a disciplined intake of Scripture certainly promises wisdom. But wisdom offers a course of action, not just a course of instruction. (Tweet that.)

The book of Proverbs reveals the outcome of the pathways we are walking.

And it tells us how to stay on the path of wisdom.

2 Ways You Can Find Balance in the Christian Life

I’m convinced that one of the greatest challenges we face is finding balance in the Christian life.

Think of a man walking on the high wire. There’s never a point at which he says, “Finally, I have balance!” and then just strolls across effortlessly. Balancing life’s tightrope proves no different.

It is a continual effort with constant adjustment.

Tightrope walking 2 Ways You Can Find Balance in the Christian Life

(Photo by Wiros from Barcelona, Spain CC-BY-SA-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

“All we need,” we keep telling ourselves, “is just a little more time.”

Have you ever noticed that somehow Jesus balanced it all? The demands of His work and ministry left Him exhausted at times, of course—yet somehow He found time to get it all done.

Jesus perfectly balanced the demands of life—with the same 24 hours we have.

Here’s how.

Before You Get Married, Consider These 3 Truths

I’ll never forget the day a Christian woman in our church asked me to perform her wedding ceremony.

After some conversation, I discovered her fiance wasn’t a Christian.

Two spouses with weeding rings Before You Get Married, Consider These 3 Truths

(Photo by gcardinal from Norway, CC-BY-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

“Why would you marry an unbeliever,” I asked her, “when God’s Word says you can’t?”

“Well, I prayed about it,” she answered, “and I feel like it’s okay.”

“You didn’t need to pray. You can be certain it isn’t God’s will.”

It was a short conversation.

God’s will for you will never contradict God’s Word. You don’t even need to pray about it. (Tweet that.)

How Jesus Determined His Priorities

Scripture has always taught that God’s people should pursue God’s priorities.

But over the centuries opinions have differed as to what those priorities are. The problem? No one’s opinion was conclusive.

Until Jesus.

Cristo Redentor Rio How Jesus Determined His Priorities

(Photo by Sean Vivek Crasto. Public domain.)

Religious leaders in Jesus’ day debated on the separation of the important commandments from the less-important ones. One day when Jesus was teaching in the temple, a scribe tossed this live grenade in front of Jesus to see where He stood in the debate:

“What commandment is the foremost of all?” (Mark 12:28).

Jesus’ answer did more than weigh in on the longstanding disagreement.

It helped us understand how to balance our priorities.

The Southern Steps and Psalms of Ascent Reminders

Who would have ever thought to use stairs as a memory-trigger?

At the southern edge of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, a 200-foot wide flight of stairs represents both original and restored steps from the Second Temple period.

Southern steps with Psalms of Ascent tb n090599 The Southern Steps and Psalms of Ascent Reminders

(Photo: Reading the Psalms of Ascent on the Southern Steps. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands.)

Millions of sandals (including Jesus’) shuffled up these steps in antiquity as Jewish pilgrims came from all Israel and the Diaspora to worship the Lord for the annual feasts.

Some suggest the pilgrims sang the Psalms of Ascent on these steps. If so, the place brought to mind critical themes.

The place echoes of our need to be reminded of what we already know.