This media file was made available via the Public Information
Network Group PINGNews media library about PINGNews

As we have experienced one week of waking up earlier for church (well, some of us) I found that not only was it not so bad, but that the main thing that can help us adjust our priorities is changing our perspective.

I've been doing a lot of thinking and talking about this, and I am convinced that one of our biggest struggles is that we have such a limited view of what's important in life. Let's try to stand back and take a look at what God considers worthwhile and important. What does God desire of our lives.

I think that two of the most important things to God are the relationship that we have with Him, and our love for others. Jesus told us that these were the greatest commandments. How do our priorities line up with God's perspective on things? This is a question we should ask ourselves every day of our lives.

I have a copy of a lesson on prayer that my friend Nick told me I should check out. I've listened to it a few times, but I plan on listening to it again. The guy who's speaking talks about how Jesus, even though He is God, desired nothing more than to talk with His Father in Heaven. Then the guy talked about how Jesus would sneak away, even avoid people to find extra time to pray. What really struck me was when the speaker pointed out the kinds of things that most of us sneak away to do. When I get spare time I want to play basketball, work on my house or car, read a good book, or surf around on Craigslist. Rarely do I see an hour of free time coming up and get so excited that I can sneak away and pray. Is this because being alone in conversation with God is not worth my time? No, it's because I don't desire what is best for me. I deal with this every day. Trusting God and living life in a way that prioritizes God is in direct conflict with our self-centered and sinful nature. I think we'll all deal with a similar struggle now that Faith Extreme is at 9:25. All of this talk about being a part of the Body of Christ and worshiping with our families can seem pretty burdensome. Is it really that big of a deal to spend 3 hours with God's people and God Himself. Consider the other things that we spend hours doing. It may be hours of myspace, hours of video games, hours of sports, hours of school work, or hours of [insert your favorite activity here]. Let's become the type of people who sneak away to God and find the most joy in our lives when we worship Him together.