Last Saturday morning as I arose Dear Husband (dh) warned me he blew up the microwave so I would need to use alternate means to warm up my first cup of coffee. I solved my crossword sipping a room temperature coffee.   We decided to purchase a new microwave and go on to the county transfer station to trash the old microwave.  As we were on our way to the transfer station, dh suggests we continue to several near-by furniture stores in search of a new couch.  I googled furniture stores and calculated a convenient route with several stores on the right-hand side of the street.  We dropped off the microwave and headed to the first furniture store.  As we traveled along dh says, ‘Let’s stop at the Honda dealer as we go by.’  Four hours later I found myself signing papers to trade my trusty 2012 Rav4 for a brand-new truck and we had yet to visit a furniture store.  Where did I go wrong?  How did the day get away from me?
 
We all have a finite length of time here on earth.  We can estimate our years based on our forebears, our health, our lifestyle and insurance charts.  But we cannot know for sure.  Each of us might live more than 100 years or we might die in the next minute.
 
The Bible has lots to say about using our time.    Here are a few:  James 4:14, ‘Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.’   Proverbs 27:1,  ‘Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.’  Psalm 90:12, ‘Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’ Ephesians 5:15-16, ‘Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.’  1 Timothy 6:12, ‘Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.’
 
Regardless of the length of our lives, it is our responsibility to use the time wisely.
 
By the way, though I had not planned to go vehicle shopping Saturday morning, I was googling Kelley Blue Book values and car loan rates as we were talking with the salesman and I returned to the dealer on Monday to renegotiate the loan, the Rav4 was due for some costly maintenance to remain road worthy, I had already done my homework on new vehicles and I knew which one I wanted. 

​I often hear the declaration, “I put God first, my spouse second, my children third, all else after them.”  Or, “I put God first, my family second, my job third, all else after them.” It sure sounds righteous to put God first, but frankly I have no clue what it means. Does it mean do daily devotions first thing every morning?  Does it mean fulfill all obligations to the preferred religious organization before slotting in time for anything else?  If spouse is second and a conflict arises between the desires of the spouse and the needs of the children, what takes precedence, the desires or the needs?  My job benefits my family how do I decide the priority.   On and on the confusion spins.  If I think God first, it feels like if I complete all my God-things, as I define them, then I can do my spouse things.  Once those are complete, I can move on to the child things.
 
The statement is way too linear for me!  My life is not lived so discretely with categories of responsibilities assigned first then second then third place.  I cannot think in terms of God first followed by everything else.  It isn’t once my duty to God is complete, I can move on to the rest of my life without regard to God. I must do my life based on my God-things.  My God-things define and direct my ‘life-things’.
 
I wear corrective lens all the time.  In fact, I have done so for 60 years.  I cannot function without them.  
My God-things are like my glasses.  I cannot function well in any of my life without God.  I try to see everything through the lens of faith and obedience.  Only then can I clearly see to prioritize the many demands on my time and energy.  I maintain my glasses through daily cleaning, storing them in protective cases when not in use, and scheduling regular check ups to ensure the prescription is up-to-date.  I maintain my relationship with God through the disciplines of daily devotions, prayer, study, weekly worship and service.  If I fail to maintain my glasses, the world around me becomes indistinct and fuzzy.  If I slack on the disciplines needed to maintain my connection with God, I lose focus on the priority of all the many pulls on my life. 
 
It is not God first then a sequence of other responsibilities.  It is seeing my responsibilities through the lens of God.  I must be intentional about my relationship with God in order to clearly see and prioritize the people and possibilities He sends my way.