EmmDev 2026-07-31 [Wisdom for Every Day Life] Priorities and Balance #4 - A New Perspective

Priorities and Balance #4 - A New Perspective

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians3:1-4)

A perspective is a vantage point - it's your point of view.
It's where you look at the world from.
It's the lens you look through.
It's the underlying reality that informs what you see and how you respond.
It's the compass that guides the direction of our steps.

Paul doesn't begin with a command - he begins with an identity.
Paul is clear about what our perspective should be.
- We were dead, but Christ has raised us to life.
- Our destination is with Christ who is seated at God's right hand.
- Our desire, longing and focus should be on "things above" not temporary earthly things.
- Christ will return and we will be with Him, leaving this world behind.

This should surely change our priorities from things that have temporal value to things that have eternal value. It should surely help us to be less trapped by the "stuff" of this world. And it will surely help us to find the balance between meeting temporary needs and making eternal investments.

I love Paul's phrasing:
"You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

It speaks of rescue and intimacy and safety.
The world around us doesn't understand it.
Our eternal hope is "hidden" for now, but it is certain because the tomb is empty and Christ is risen, ascended and returning.

What is your current perspective?
Maybe you've been looking down too much.
It's time to remember and look up:
You were broken, sinful and unsure
and you were spiritually dead.
BUT Jesus took your life and wrapped it in His Death and Resurrection.
And you are forgiven and are destined for eternity with Him!

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EmmDev 2026-07-30 [Wisdom for Every Day Life] Priorities and Balance #3 - Presence over Protocol

Priorities and Balance #3 - Presence over Protocol

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to His teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to Him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke10:38-43)

This is a powerful parable-in-real-life.
It doesn't need a lot of explaining, but here's a few thoughts...

Hospitality was very highly valued in the Ancient Near East. So Martha's choice to focus on the meal and being a good hostess is understandable and even commendable.

And that's the problem with priorities.
They are sometimes hard to call.
Sometimes two things can look almost equally important and it's hard to decide which one counts most.
The catch with Martha is not that she was being hospitable but that she had made too much of it. The text tells us that she was "distracted with much serving." And, when we look at her complaint to Jesus, it is the language of a victim. There's the strong sense that her focus was more about the task than about delighting in Jesus.

Mary sits at Jesus feet. She enjoys the moment - we'll talk about time next week.
She chooses presence over protocol, connection over impressions.
I'm sure that, if it were needed, she would have whipped up a quick meal, but she avoids Martha's vortex of activity and chooses to be with Jesus.

Jesus' answer to Martha is very telling.
Although some translations put it differently, in the original Greek the wording is that Mary has chosen the good portion and it's a clever pun about Martha's choice. Martha is preoccupied with serving a portion of food. Mary has chosen the good portion: Jesus Himself. One meal will soon be forgotten. The portion Mary received "will not be taken away from her".

Every day we are faced with good choices and better ones.
There is work to do, meals to prepare and responsibilities to fulfill.
But before we do anything for Jesus, we must first spend time with Jesus.
The good portion is still available to everyone who will sit at His feet.

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EmmDev 2026-07-29 [Wisdom for Every Day Life] Priorities and Balance#2 - First

Priorities and Balance#2 - First

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew6:31-33)

Few things rob us of balance more quickly than worry, and few things restore it more effectively than putting God first.

The balance lies in not being dominated by stress and worry. We do need to eat and drink but we should not be become obsessed about what we eat and wear. Earlier in this chapter Jesus spoke about the birds of the air and the flowers of the field and how God provides for them. The birds forage diligently and plants sink their roots deep and turn sunlight into food but there is joy and beauty in what they do. Obsession turns labour and housework into slavery. Balancing gratitude, trust and diligence is the key to a balanced life. We have gratitude for God's provision both through opportunity and ability, we trust God to watch over us and give us strength and then we bring our best efforts to the table.

But Jesus also calls us to have the right priorities and we have to get the top one right. First and foremost, our most important priority should be to ensure that we are seeking God's Kingdom and righteousness.

The Greek verb Jesus uses for "seek" is "zēteite" and it is significant because Jesus uses it in a positive and a negative sense in this passage. The pagans run after all the wrong things, but Jesus calls His followers to seek the Kingdom of God first. The verb means to seek, pursue, strive after, aim for and desire. Jesus uses it in a present, continuous and imperative tense - "keep on seeking". We are being commanded to have a deep desire and longing for God's kingdom and righteousness. What makes it striking is that Jesus isn't asking us to perform an action - He's asking us to cultivate a passion. If it were an action then we could tick the box and move on, but we're being asked to have a continuous longing that permeates all we do.

And it needs to be FIRST. Above all else. Above ambition. Above earthly affections. Above all.

And what do we long for? God's kingdom and righteousness. Longing for His kingdom means continually asking: "If God were King of this situation, how would it go down? How would He want me to behave? What outcomes would God want us to pursue? What are the priorities and principles that would apply here?" Pursuing God's righteousness adds moral depth to the idea of "kingdom." Sometimes people will cut corners because they argue that the end justifies the means, but in pursuing the kingdom we must also do things the right way.

Our balance comes from doing our part without becoming obsessed with the results. Our priority is to nurture a deep and growing passion to see God crowned as King in every part of our lives.

When the Kingdom comes first, everything else finds its proper place.

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EmmDev 2026-07-28 [Wisdom for Every Day Life] Priorities and Balance #1 - The Foundation

Priorities and Balance #1 - The Foundation

After a long winter break, EmmDevs are back.
I've been busy with a sermon series entitled "Wisdom for Everyday Life"
You can watch the sermons on https://bit.ly/WisdomSermonPlaylist
The eight sermons were:

1. Priorities and Finding Balance
2. Time: Rejuvenation and Distraction (Serving Without Burning Out)
3. Faith vs Fear (Anxiety, Ignorance or Sober Faith)
4. Forgiveness vs Bitterness
5. Sober thinking in an opinionated world
6. Seasoned Words (De-escalating in a world that ramps up quickly)
7. Contentment vs Comparison
8. Faithful Witness: Strong Convictions, Gentle Hearts

The plan is to devote 3 or 4 EmmDevs to each theme...

We start with Priorities and Balance

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your true and proper worship. (Romans12:1)

In a series that deals with many practical qualities (wisdoms) that should be present in mature believers' lives, it is vital to make sure that the starting point is not human effort.

Paul is crystal clear about that. He spends 11 chapters laying a foundation.
- We were dead in our sins and only Christ could save us.
- By ourselves we can't do good or avoid evil, only the Holy Spirit can do that.
- Even the fates of nations are in God's hands and not a matter of self-determination.

The starting point is not our effort, but God's mercy.
God has rescued us. God has redeemed us, saved us, chosen us.
He loved us first and saved us when we were powerless.

And anything we do is a response.

And the response to which Romans 12 calls us is a life of WORSHIP.
This is life's great priority.
The Westminster Confession (paraphrased) states:
"Humankind's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever."

Worship is not something that we do only on Sundays.
It's offering our bodies as "living sacrifices."
Dead sacrifices cannot climb off the altar. A living sacrifice can - but chooses not to.
A living sacrifice learns to ask "In this situation what would Jesus do? What glorifies God?"

And, strangely enough, counter-intuitively, this worship is not onerous.
We discover that when God is at the centre, we have come home.
And we enjoy God.

Paul uses an interesting word for "proper."
In Greek it is "logikos".
It can mean "reasonable", "logical", "spiritual", "rational", "fitting", "appropriate", or "considered."

Paul is saying:
When you consider the vastness of God's Mercy then worship: is a reasonable, logical, rational and appropriate response and is the most spiritually congruent thing we can do.

We prioritise God because He prioritised us...

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