Loading Content...
Share a Link to this Message
The link has been copied to your clipboard; paste it anywhere you would like to share it.
CloseRyan Sim - May 23, 2013
Thursday- Act On It - Priorities
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:24 ESV) Illustrate with two cups (money, God) beside each other. Can only fill one. Remember Monday – I asked you to list your priorities in order. One per rank, no ties. Illustrated with stacked cups. Still can only fill one. And money isn’t the only thing we can prioritize in life, it’s just one of the most common, and Jesus said it was one of the most seductive challengers to God’s place in our lives. Almost effortlessly it is able to lure us into its sphere of influence. When we grow from dependent children into adults, before we know it, we are living lives in its service. It calls us, it drives us, it threatens us, it rewards us. We don’t know if we have enough here, too much there, need to make more, invest more or borrow more. Money is a deep rooted power. It reaches to the very centre of who we are and what we live for – the heart and eye we spoke of yesterday. Jesus ascribed to money almost ultimate power. “No one” he said “can serve two masters, one cannot serve God and money.” You can only serve one master faithfully. This isn’t about taking on two jobs – he deliberately uses the language of slavery from his culture – where people sold themselves, in entirety, to pay off a debt – and could naturally not sell a second “self” to someone else. Jesus says money has that kind of demand on our lives – it is the most likely thing to challenge God in our lives. The point he was leading to was this: You cannot serve both God and money! If God and the vision of God’s reign is not the ultimate focus of our lives, something else will be. For many of us the something else will be money in its various forms. Money has a power all of its own. It has the power to take the very place of God in our lives. Money can lure us into its service. But putting God as our first priority doesn’t mean we deny our children, spouses, and other good things in our lives. God made them, said they were good. This is not an either/or. God wants to fill every area of our lives with his love, his power, his leadership. Illustrated with four cups on level 1, and a full God cup on level 2. Pouring water into God’s cup overflows into the others. When we start to open ourselves to God, welcoming the reality that he poured himself out for us by dying on the cross, we quickly find he pours out into all areas of our lives, and then into others. People who give of their time in service of others will tell you time and time again how incredibly fulfilling it is…that happiness doesn’t come from wealth, financial or otherwise, but rather because they have handed over all areas of their lives to God’s care as Lord. They are able to be contented and happy in all things, and that is a kind of wealth in itself that overflows into all area of life. Challenge: Take another look at your list of priorities from Monday. What does Jesus’ teaching in the sermon on the mount say to you about each of these? Have any of them been prioritized over God’s will? IF so, ask God to be Lord over, and pour into that area of your life.
Related Topics: Money, Priorities | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio
From Series: "Sermon on the Mount"
More Messages From Ryan Sim...
About the Parenting Children CourseJuly 1, 2012 |
||
About the Parenting Teenagers CourseJuly 1, 2012 |
||
About the Marriage CourseRyan Sim - July 1, 2012 |
||
About the Christianity 101 CourseJuly 1, 2012 |
||
Day 1 - IntroductionAugust 1, 2012 |
||
Day 2 - The Big Story Act 1August 8, 2012 |
||
Day 3 - The Big Story Act 2September 1, 2012 |
||
Day 4 - The Big Story Act 3September 2, 2012 |
||
Day 5 - The Big Story Act 4September 3, 2012 |
||
Day 6 - The Big Story Acts 5 and 6September 4, 2012 |
||
Day 7 - Is there a God?September 5, 2012 |
||
Day 8 - How Does God Reveal Truth?September 6, 2012 |
||
Day 9 - Why The Bible?September 7, 2012 |
||
Day 10 - Faith & ReasonRyan Sim - September 8, 2012 |
||
Day 11 - Who are we?September 9, 2012 |
||
Day 12 - Free WillRyan Sim - September 10, 2012 |
||
Day 13 - A Life Centred on GodRyan Sim - September 11, 2012 |
||
Day 14 - Alienation from GodRyan Sim - September 12, 2012 |
||
Day 15 - The Problem with our World and with UsRyan Sim - September 13, 2012 |
||
Day 16 - Replacing GodRyan Sim - September 14, 2012 |
||
Day 17 - The Consequences - 1 and 2Ryan Sim - September 15, 2012 |
||
Day 18 - The Consequences - 3 and 4Ryan Sim - September 16, 2012 |
||
Day 19 - The Problem of EvilRyan Sim - September 17, 2012 |
||
Day 20 - What God Did About EvilRyan Sim - September 18, 2012 |
||
Introduction to Daily ChallengesNovember 2, 2012 |
||
Monday - New Idea - Poor in SpiritNovember 12, 2012 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - Poor in SpiritNovember 13, 2012 |
||
Wednesday - Change - Poor in SpiritNovember 14, 2012 |
||
Thursday - Act On It - Poor in SpiritNovember 15, 2012 |
||
Friday - Reflect - Poor in SpiritNovember 16, 2012 |
||
Monday - A New Idea - Those who MournNovember 19, 2012 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - Those Who MournNovember 20, 2012 |
||
Wednesday - Change - Those Who MournNovember 21, 2012 |
||
Thursday - Act - Those Who MournNovember 22, 2012 |
||
Friday - Reflect - Those Who MournNovember 23, 2012 |
||
Monday - A New Idea - MeekNovember 26, 2012 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - MeekNovember 27, 2012 |
||
Wednesday - Change - MeekNovember 28, 2012 |
||
Thursday - Act - MeekNovember 29, 2012 |
||
Friday - Reflect - MeekNovember 30, 2012 |
||
Monday - A New Idea - Poor in SpiritDecember 3, 2012 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - RighteousnessDecember 4, 2012 |
||
Wednesday - Change It - RighteousnessDecember 5, 2012 |
||
Thursday - Act On It - RighteousnessDecember 6, 2012 |
||
Friday - Reflect - RighteousnessDecember 7, 2012 |
||
Monday - A New Idea - MercifulDecember 10, 2012 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - MercifulDecember 11, 2012 |
||
Wednesday - Change It - MercifulDecember 12, 2012 |
||
Thursday - Act On It - MercifulDecember 13, 2012 |
||
Friday - Reflect - MercifulDecember 14, 2012 |
||
Monday - A New Idea - Pure in HeartDecember 17, 2012 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - Pure in HeartDecember 18, 2012 |
||
Wednesday - Change It - Pure in HeartDecember 19, 2012 |
||
Thursday - Act On It - Pure in HeartDecember 20, 2012 |
||
Friday - Reflect - Pure in HeartDecember 21, 2012 |
||
Christmas EveDecember 24, 2012 |
||
Christmas DayDecember 25, 2012 |
||
Boxing DayDecember 26, 2012 |
||
Thursday - December 27December 27, 2012 |
||
Friday - December 28December 28, 2012 |
||
New Years Eve - GrowthDecember 31, 2012 |
||
New Years Day - GroupsJanuary 1, 2013 |
||
Wednesday - January 2 - GraceJanuary 2, 2013 |
||
Thursday - January 3 - GenerosityJanuary 3, 2013 |
||
Friday - January 4 - GodJanuary 4, 2013 |
||
Monday - A New Idea - PeacemakersJanuary 7, 2013 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - PeacemakersJanuary 8, 2013 |
||
Wednesday - Change It - PeacemakersJanuary 9, 2013 |
||
Thursday - Act - PeacemakersJanuary 10, 2013 |
||
Friday - Reflect - PeacemakersJanuary 11, 2013 |
||
Monday - A New Idea - PersecutedJanuary 14, 2013 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - PersecutedJanuary 15, 2013 |
||
Wednesday - Change - PersecutionJanuary 16, 2013 |
||
Thursday - Act - PersecutedJanuary 17, 2013 |
||
Friday - Reflect - PersecutedJanuary 18, 2013 |
||
Monday - New Idea - Living BackwardsJanuary 21, 2013 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - Living BackwardsJanuary 22, 2013 |
||
Wednesday - Change - Living BackwardsJanuary 23, 2013 |
||
Thursday - Act on It - Living BackwardsJanuary 24, 2013 |
||
Friday - Reflect - Living BackwardsJanuary 25, 2013 |
||
Monday - A New Idea - SaltJanuary 28, 2013 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - SaltJanuary 29, 2013 |
||
Wednesday - Change It - SaltJanuary 30, 2013 |
||
Thursday - Act On It - SaltJanuary 31, 2013 |
||
Friday - Reflect - SaltFebruary 1, 2013 |
||
Monday - A New Idea - LightFebruary 4, 2013 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - LightFebruary 5, 2013 |
||
Wednesday - Change It - LightFebruary 6, 2013 |
||
Thursday - Act On It - LightFebruary 7, 2013 |
||
Friday - Reflect - LightFebruary 8, 2013 |
||
Monday - A New Idea - LawFebruary 11, 2013 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - LawFebruary 12, 2013 |
||
Wednesday - Change It - LawFebruary 13, 2013 |
||
Thursday - Act On It - LawFebruary 14, 2013 |
||
Friday - Reflect - LawFebruary 15, 2013 |
||
Monday - A New Idea - AngerFebruary 18, 2013 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - AngerFebruary 19, 2013 |
||
Wednesday - Change It - AngerFebruary 20, 2013 |
||
Thursday - Act On It - AngerFebruary 21, 2013 |
||
Friday - Reflect - AngerFebruary 22, 2013 |
||
Monday - A New Idea - The LookFebruary 25, 2013 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - The LookFebruary 26, 2013 |
||
Wednesday - Study It - The LookFebruary 27, 2013 |
||
Thursday - Act On It - The LookFebruary 28, 2013 |
||
Friday - Reflect - The LookMarch 1, 2013 |
||
Monday - A New Idea - TruthMarch 4, 2013 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - TruthMarch 5, 2013 |
||
Wednesday - Change It - TruthMarch 6, 2013 |
||
Thursday - Act On It - TruthMarch 7, 2013 |
||
Friday - Reflect - TruthMarch 8, 2013 |
||
Monday - A New Idea - RetaliationMarch 11, 2013 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - RetaliationMarch 12, 2013 |
||
Wednesday - Change It - RetaliationMarch 13, 2013 |
||
Thursday - Act On It - RetaliationMarch 14, 2013 |
||
Friday - Reflect - RetaliationMarch 15, 2013 |
||
Monday - A New Idea - NeighboursApril 8, 2013 |
||
Tuesday - Study It - NeighboursApril 9, 2013 |
||
Wednesday - Change - NeighboursApril 10, 2013 |
||
Thursday - Act On It - NeighboursApril 11, 2013 |
||
Friday - Reflect - NeighboursApril 12, 2013 |
||