In the words of leadership mentor and author Jim Collins, “Good is the enemy of great.” Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources similarly states, “It is a sin to be good when God has called us to be great.” What one discipline keeps most people from realizing God’s best for their lives?  The failure to set and maintain priorities prevents many from moving to the next level spiritually, personally, and professionally.

Jesus commands us to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).  Paul urged the Philippian believers to discern what things are the best (Philippians 1:10).  Those admonitions stand in contrast to how many of us live.  We tend to move from circumstance to circumstance dealing with what seems urgent at the moment.  We live more like firemen putting out blazes than intentional disciples serving the Master’s wishes. While we thrash away at the urgent, the important often goes unattended.

When we set and maintain priorities we establish in advance the standard that will decide our courses of action.  I cannot tell you what your priorities should be and how you should order them. I can tell you that if you place Jesus at the center of them, you will accomplish eternally significant results.

Four Guides to Help You Set and Maintain Priorities

Most of our failure to prioritize stems from not understanding these four things about yourself

Things You Can Do

These are your strengths.  Every one of us possesses a unique blend of talent, experience, and giftedness.  No one else can do what you do the way you do it.  You have a unique contribution to every endeavor to which God calls you.  As a believer, you have unique empowerment from the Holy Spirit.  The Bible refers to this as a spiritual gift.  Your spiritual gift is essentially the unique way God chooses to work through you in His power.

Do not be afraid to embrace your strengths.  God gave you the abilities you have because He wants to use them for His purpose.  Set your priorities around your uniqueness.  Only YOU can be the husband or wife to your spouse.  Only YOU can the parent to your son or daughter.  If someone else can do just as well what others are asking you to do, maybe you should consider taking a pass.  Do what only you can do.

[Tweet “God gave you the abilities you have because He wants to use them for His purpose.”]

Things You Cannot Do

The things we cannot do speak to our limitations. Some people will expect more of you than you can reasonably deliver. Sometimes you will want to do more than you are able to do.  For instance, you cannot change someone’s heart.  You cannot fix someone who doesn’t realize they are broken.  You cannot meet unreasonable demands for your time and energy.  You cannot do for others what God has given them to do. 

When you recognize where your can ends and your cannot begins, you will gain a sense of freedom in doing what God has given you do not satisfying the demands of others.

[Tweet “When you recognize where your can ends and your cannot begins, you will gain a sense of freedom”]

Things You Should Do

The things we should do refer to our responsibilities.  When we set and maintain priorities, we take responsibility for those things that are indeed ours to do.  As I mentioned before, some things only you can do, and you are the ones who should do them.  No one can spoon feed and produce my spiritual growth.  I have to take responsibility for my own spiritual maturity.  It is a priority.  No one else can fill my family role, so my family is my responsibility and priority.  No one can prepare and preach my sermons for me, so I take responsibility for those tasks.  Sermon prep is a priority in my schedule.

Setting and maintaining priorities helps us establish intentional living around the things that matter most.  We tend more to the important than the urgent when we live by intentional priorities.

Things You Should Not Do

This final category speaks to wisdom.  Wisdom is also discerning between those things that we should and should not do.  Some things we should not do because we cannot.  Those things are outside of our limitations and we should not fruitlessly try to do them.  Other things we could do, but others could do them better and so they should do them.

[Tweet “Knowing something is knowledge, however knowing what to do with what you know is wisdom.”]

At the core of setting and maintaining priorities is the need to constantly distinguish between these four categories.  I want you to prayerfully develop the habit of discerning the excellent.  Learn to seek God’s Kingdom work through your life FIRST.

Three Last Words of Caution

1.  Never let what you cannot do keep you from doing what you can.  We are sometimes tempted to quit or shy away because of our limitation.  Instead, see how your strengths may play in to given situation.

2.  Never be satisfied doing forever only what you can do today.  Challenge yourself to grow, develop, and learn new things.  As you live within your priorities, you will eventually discover a newly found energy and time to stretch yourself occasionally.

3.  Learn to place all of life’s activity into one of three categories:

• Things I can’t do, so I shouldn’t
• Things I could do, but shouldn’t.
• Things I can do, and should. – From these flow your priorities.

[Tweet “Never be satisfied doing forever only what you can do today.”]