Priorities.  We all have them whether we recognize it or not. Most of us have a hard time lining up our actions with our intentions when it comes to priorities.

Let's face it, we all intend to have the right priorities.

We all make promises to spend more time with God in His Word or in prayer. We all promise to spend time with our spouse and our families. We all promise to spend time in fellowship and co-laboring in the local church for the good of God's Kingdom. But how often does it really pan out that way? How often do we really get execute those well planned intentions?

My guess, if your life is anything like mine, is that it doesn't happen often. In fact, if it happens ever then that would be saying a lot. Why is it so difficult to follow through with what we know to be the right priorities?  One word....ME.

The real problem is me. Us. Ourselves. Basically we want what makes us happy. We want what makes us comfortable or what doesn't cost a lost in either time or money. We want what doesn't take any sacrifice. And our society of course feeds us this at every point. How many times have you flipped on the TV and heard:

• "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days with no effort or change of your lifestyle needed"
• "Make more money than you ever dreamed without spending a dime"
• "Have the greatest marriage ever by changing your spouse into the person you want them to be"

These types of things are everywhere. They all appeal to our desire to get everything without sacrificing anything. They all feed into our desires to have whatever we want without so much as lifting a finger to get it. In fact, I would say that our society and culture has gotten so bad that now it isn't enough to get without sacrifice, now we actually think that we are somehow ENTITLED to get all of this stuff. As if it were owed to us somehow.

But the Scripture is pretty plain about a few things:

Matt 16:24-25 - "Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it".

Those are strong words from a loving Savior that not only said them...HE DID THEM. He never thought of Himself but rather, gave all of Himself for you and I. And if that was the way HE lived, and we just read that we are supposed to follow HIM, then maybe we need to check out our priorities again.

It is so simple....but not easy. Getting out of the habit of thinking of ourself first or living a life that involves sacrifice is difficult. But it is so necessary.

This actually occurred to me the other night. I always gripe about not having enough time in the day to spend a significant amount of time with God or my family, yet I was able to basically put my whole life on hold so that I could watch the series finale of 24. And I even have DVR. I could have watched it any time, but I chose to do it then. Which tells me something, when I want to do something, I am more than willing to do whatever it takes to do it. Why don't I do it with God? My family? Others?

I'm not sure what it will take to break the hold that we actually have on ourselves in order to get our priorities back in line with Scriptures...but I do know that if we wanted to...we would.

Maybe we just need to stop having intentions...and just start having actions instead? Perhaps if we would just start DOING for the Lord and others, then everything else will just fall into place?

But the big question remains: Are we willing to deny ourselves? Are we willing to take up our cross and follow Jesus? Are we willing to put God, our families and others ahead of ourselves? Or are we going to continually only be concerned with the most important 3 people in our lives...me, myself and I?

The question has been asked for over 2000 years....what will your answer be?