BBD 03.07.06 Your Priorities

#1 · March 7, 2006, 11:03 am

Quote from Forum Archives on March 7, 2006, 11:03 am
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

Try out the new website at www.theburningbush.net

The old website is at www.theburningbush.org

Several devotional booklets are now available for free download in PDF
format at the new site. Just click on the "Free Book Downloads" link.

Join the Burning Bush Prayer Group! Send and receive prayer requests and be
a part of a great ministry. More than 400 (currently 498) wonderful people
make up this group. To join send an email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

The Burning Bush Devotional

Welcome to the 922 new subscribers since November 1, 2005!!

03.07.06

Your Priorities

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these
things shall be added to you. - Matthew 6:33.

And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But
even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do
not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." But sanctify the Lord God
in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks
you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a
good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile
your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the
will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also
suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to
God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit. - 1 Peter
3:13-18.

Colleen was entrusted with the charity and building maintenance funds of her
church in Pennsylvania. Colleen who is 34-years-old apparently had herself
in mind as a charity case when thinking of how the funds should be used. She
used $325,000 to buy a second house on the beach and to do some maintenance
on her body by having breast implants. The good news is that with the help
of relatives she was able to make full restitution of the money she
embezzled. Colleen now says, "I have been humiliated and very humbled. I
wish I could turn back the clock. What I thought was important in life,
wasn't." She told the judge, "I was very dishonest and selfish." At her
sentencing, she asked for forgiveness from the church members present. She
was sentenced to two years of house arrest followed by two years of
probation along with 750 hours of community service.

Colleen must now suffer for doing evil. As Peter writes it is so much
better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Why did Colleen do what she did? Her attorney claims it was because she has
an obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, I know personally people with
these disorders and have never known any of them to do anything like this.
It does appear that Colleen simply had the wrong priorities in her life. Her
primary concern was not for her brothers and sisters in Christ or for their
missionary efforts. Instead, as she indicates, she was very selfish and
concerned only about herself. A church elder indicated that Colleen's
primary home was in very good shape and that it was a "large, well-kept
stone home" as compared to the church facility, which was in need of much
repair.

Colleen's situation is a very sad and extreme example of the result of
misplaced priorities. However, she made the choice at some point to begin
traveling down the path that led to her ultimately embezzling from her
church and to her disgrace. You have to think that at first she was a person
who was trusted by the church to have been given control of such a large
fund.

Putting the Kingdom of God first in your life is not a one-time thing. No,
it is not even a weekly thing. It should be an every day, every hour, every
minute, every moment thing that consumes our lives. You may be thinking isn't
that a bit radical? To avoid traveling the wrong paths with our lives does
take some radical living. Colleen would most likely tell you that she wishes
she had been more radical in her living for the Lord.

Why not take a moment right now to consider the priorities in your life? Are
they the priorities that the Lord would want you to have? If not, why not
change them now, and get on the right path with your life before it is too
late?

Copyright © 2006. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has
been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the
Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.

The Crossmap Christian Search and Portal is a wonderful resource. I would
like to encourage you to visit this great site at www.crossmap.com. Crossmap
has added the Burning Bush Devotionals to their site. You may visit
Crossmap's sister website, the online version of the Christian Post at
www.christianpost.com.

If you have a Christian website you are invited to add the link to my free
links at the Burning Bush website. The Bravenet free links is near the
bottom of the front page www.theburningbush.org.

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org

Streaming Videos of our services including my sermons are posted at:
www.theburningbush.org/fbcswvideo.html

There is now a webpage available at associate.com where the devotionals are
archived associate.com/groups/burningbushdevo. There is a complete
archive at the Burning Bush website and the address for the archive is
www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You may subscribe to the pure text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org and you can unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Prayer Group. Send and receive prayer requests
to over 400 members. Send a blank email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Inspirational Group. Send and receive
inspirational material to over 100 members. Send a blank email to:
bbinspire-subscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Restoration and Recovery Group for those with
addictions or recovering from addictions. Receive devotionals and
inspirational material directed toward those with addictions. Send and
receive prayer requests. Over 200 members. Send a blank email to:
tbbrr-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Intercede Life Group and pray for and help in practical
ways those who need help. To subscribe send a blank email to
interclife-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

Try out the new website at http://www.theburningbush.net

The old website is at http://www.theburningbush.org

Several devotional booklets are now available for free download in PDF
format at the new site. Just click on the "Free Book Downloads" link.

Join the Burning Bush Prayer Group! Send and receive prayer requests and be
a part of a great ministry. More than 400 (currently 498) wonderful people
make up this group. To join send an email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

The Burning Bush Devotional

Welcome to the 922 new subscribers since November 1, 2005!!

03.07.06

Your Priorities

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these
things shall be added to you. - Matthew 6:33.

And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But
even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do
not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." But sanctify the Lord God
in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks
you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a
good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile
your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the
will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also
suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to
God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit. - 1 Peter
3:13-18.

Colleen was entrusted with the charity and building maintenance funds of her
church in Pennsylvania. Colleen who is 34-years-old apparently had herself
in mind as a charity case when thinking of how the funds should be used. She
used $325,000 to buy a second house on the beach and to do some maintenance
on her body by having breast implants. The good news is that with the help
of relatives she was able to make full restitution of the money she
embezzled. Colleen now says, "I have been humiliated and very humbled. I
wish I could turn back the clock. What I thought was important in life,
wasn't." She told the judge, "I was very dishonest and selfish." At her
sentencing, she asked for forgiveness from the church members present. She
was sentenced to two years of house arrest followed by two years of
probation along with 750 hours of community service.

Colleen must now suffer for doing evil. As Peter writes it is so much
better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Why did Colleen do what she did? Her attorney claims it was because she has
an obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, I know personally people with
these disorders and have never known any of them to do anything like this.
It does appear that Colleen simply had the wrong priorities in her life. Her
primary concern was not for her brothers and sisters in Christ or for their
missionary efforts. Instead, as she indicates, she was very selfish and
concerned only about herself. A church elder indicated that Colleen's
primary home was in very good shape and that it was a "large, well-kept
stone home" as compared to the church facility, which was in need of much
repair.

Colleen's situation is a very sad and extreme example of the result of
misplaced priorities. However, she made the choice at some point to begin
traveling down the path that led to her ultimately embezzling from her
church and to her disgrace. You have to think that at first she was a person
who was trusted by the church to have been given control of such a large
fund.

Putting the Kingdom of God first in your life is not a one-time thing. No,
it is not even a weekly thing. It should be an every day, every hour, every
minute, every moment thing that consumes our lives. You may be thinking isn't
that a bit radical? To avoid traveling the wrong paths with our lives does
take some radical living. Colleen would most likely tell you that she wishes
she had been more radical in her living for the Lord.

Why not take a moment right now to consider the priorities in your life? Are
they the priorities that the Lord would want you to have? If not, why not
change them now, and get on the right path with your life before it is too
late?

Copyright © 2006. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has
been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the
Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.

The Crossmap Christian Search and Portal is a wonderful resource. I would
like to encourage you to visit this great site at http://www.crossmap.com. Crossmap
has added the Burning Bush Devotionals to their site. You may visit
Crossmap's sister website, the online version of the Christian Post at
http://www.christianpost.com.

If you have a Christian website you are invited to add the link to my free
links at the Burning Bush website. The Bravenet free links is near the
bottom of the front page http://www.theburningbush.org.

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org

Streaming Videos of our services including my sermons are posted at:
http://www.theburningbush.org/fbcswvideo.html

There is now a webpage available at associate.com where the devotionals are
archived associate.com/groups/burningbushdevo. There is a complete
archive at the Burning Bush website and the address for the archive is
http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You may subscribe to the pure text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org and you can unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Prayer Group. Send and receive prayer requests
to over 400 members. Send a blank email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Inspirational Group. Send and receive
inspirational material to over 100 members. Send a blank email to:
bbinspire-subscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Restoration and Recovery Group for those with
addictions or recovering from addictions. Receive devotionals and
inspirational material directed toward those with addictions. Send and
receive prayer requests. Over 200 members. Send a blank email to:
tbbrr-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Intercede Life Group and pray for and help in practical
ways those who need help. To subscribe send a blank email to
interclife-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.