“Most men have not settled the issue of what their priorities should be.
Among those who do know, too few live according to those priorities.”
~Patrick Morley
Every six months or so my husband Reed and I intentionally sit down together and assess how we’re doing with habits, routines, and working towards our life‐long goals. We want to make sure we establish good patterns now, so we reap their blessings later in life. We also want to make sure our priorities align with Scripture and God’s will for our lives. Well, we recently discovered a resource to help us do a very thorough assessment.
Reed was gifted a book called The Man in the Mirror by Patrick Morley1. I started reading it almost by accident, since it is really targeted towards guys, but I’m always intrigued by books that have a Biblical finances section. That section was so good that I kept reading!
In the book, Patrick Morley helps readers examine 24 areas of their lives to see how they line up with Scripture. Some of the areas include identities, relationships, finances, time, temperament, and integrity. The author says, “My dream is that by reading it you will find contentment and a success that really matters.” The Man in the Mirror is a biblically based and empowering book to help Christians live an authentic life and truly find their purpose in life. It’s a great tool to have in our “strategic toolbox”.
A Count‐Down List of Priorities
“When we don’t have a sense of where we are going,
where we are now isn’t that important.” ~Patrick Morley
God has laid the following list of priorities on our hearts for daily living, many based on concepts that we gleaned from The Man in the Mirror. These are key areas for us to focus on so we don’t waste our time, efforts, or resources. They are biblical priorities that guide our decisions, goals, and dreams, in order to live strategically!
While this is not an exhaustive list, we hope it is thought-provoking and challenges you to do your own life assessment. Does it bring to mind any course corrections that you need to make? Are there other areas that you have been called to focus on that aren’t included in our list?
#10 – We will live a balanced life, not neglecting times of rest, and living daily in the strength of the Lord.
“He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” Isaiah 40:29‐31
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy‐laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28‐29
#9 – We will live with contentment, not seeking a higher standard of living. We know riches do not give fulfillment nor lead to true victorious living.
“If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” 1 Timothy 6:8
“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you’…” Hebrews 13:5
“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” 1 John 2:15‐16
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6
#8 – We will honor the Lord from “our wealth” and from the first/best of all “our produce”. We give back to God because He gives so abundantly to us, and He is the true owner of all things. We are His stewards.
“Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce,” Proverbs 3:9
“As soon as the order spread, the sons of Israel provided in abundance the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of all…the tithe of sacred gifts which were consecrated to the Lord their God, and placed them in heaps.” 2 Chronicles 31:5‐6
“In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” 1 Corinthians 4:2
#7 – Being self-employed, we will ask God to give us favor in the eyes of our clients and bless the work of our hands.
“The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you.” Deuteronomy 28:8
“The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight..” Genesis 39:2‐4 a
“But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer…and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper.” Genesis 39:21, 23 b
“And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:52
#6 – In ministry and at the office, we will practice the proverb of steady plodding, remembering that God causes the growth.
“Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty.” Proverbs 21:5
“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” Galatians 6:9
“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” Hebrews 10:36
“So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:7
#5 – We will invest our lives in things which endure and have eternal impact, living each day as if it were our last.
“Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.” 1 Timothy 6:17‐19
“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15‐17
“So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12
“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:20‐21
#4 – We will nourish our marriage, a relationship that comes before everything, except our relationship with God.
“So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,” Ephesians 5:28‐29
“Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.” Ephesians 5:22‐24
“Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.” Ephesians 5:33
#3 – We will spend time daily in the Word of God and prayer, in order to live by the counsel of the Holy Spirit and be able to discern good and evil in this world.
“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,” Colossians 3:16 a
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1‐2
“But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” Hebrews 5:14
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” Joshua 1:8
#2 – We will live lives of obedience, a trademark of a biblical Christian, and a great witness tool to an unbelieving world.
“…for the Lord will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if you obey the Lord your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. ‘For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.‘ ” Deuteronomy 30:9b‐11
“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3
#1 – Our foremost purpose in life is to glorify God. He will remain the top priority of our lives.
“Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Joshua 22:5
“Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” Isaiah 43:7
“…be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…” Colossians 1:9b-10
A Closing Prayer
Dear Lord,
Make our messes into Your masterpiece. We want to live by Your priorities and follow Your will for our lives. Please guide us daily in this spiritual journey.
Please make our lives count, for Your glory! At the end of our days, we want to be able to say what Jesus said in John 17:4, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.”
Amen,
Elizabeth and Reed Hewitt
1 The Man in the Mirror written by Patrick Morley and published by Zondervan in 1997, updated in 2014.
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