{"id":1698,"date":"2017-05-06T01:45:54","date_gmt":"2017-05-06T01:45:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/takingeverythoughtcaptivetoobeychrist.wordpress.com\/?p=1698"},"modified":"2017-05-06T01:45:54","modified_gmt":"2017-05-06T01:45:54","slug":"the-christians-top-priorities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-christians-top-priorities\/","title":{"rendered":"The Christian’s Top Priorities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christian, does your life revolve around a healthy set of priorities? When you first wake up in the morning, where does your mind go to? For many of us, if we are being completely honest, our minds are often filled with the cares and worries of this world, rather than a Christ-saturated mentality. However, as a Christian, we are to live a life worthy of the gospel, and we must live a life that is governed by the Word of God. Therefore, I want to draw your attention to the beginning ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ in Mark 1:35-39. In this passage, we will see how the Lord Jesus prioritized His life here on earth, giving us a proper example to govern our lives around.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this passage, the Lord Jesus prioritized two things<\/span>:<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Priority of Prayer (Mark 1:35-37)<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. The Priority of Preaching (Mark 1:38-39)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Mark 1:35-39<\/b><\/p>\n

    \u201cAnd rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. <\/span><\/i>36\u00a0<\/span><\/i>And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, <\/span><\/i>37\u00a0<\/span><\/i>and they found him and said to him, \u201cEveryone is looking for you.\u201d <\/span><\/i>38\u00a0<\/span><\/i>And he said to them, \u201cLet us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.\u201d <\/span><\/i>39\u00a0<\/span><\/i>And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

    Prior to rising early, Jesus had an extraordinary day of teaching the scriptures, casting out demons, and healing the sick \u2013 all on the Sabbath. In the prior verses, we see that the Lord Jesus served late into the evening, well past sundown. Though the day was ending, there was still much work to be done, as the whole city waited eagerly to be healed. Like most of us, Jesus\u00a0could have easily rescheduled His plans for tomorrow\u00a0and told the people to come back first thing in the morning, however Jesus didn\u2019t do that. Though the external pressures were rising, Jesus ultimately had His priorities straight.<\/span><\/p>\n

    To start things\u00a0off, Jesus prioritized prayer in His life (v.35-37).\u00a0In this passage, we see the usage\u00a0of four verbs, i.e., rising, departed, went, and prayed<\/span>,<\/b> which indicates Jesus\u2019 resolution to have intimate fellowship with His Father. Though He had been up late, He still rose \u201cvery early\u201d the next morning, \u201cwhile it was still dark.\u201d We see that Jesus had a time and place set in stone where He would commune with His Father in prayer. He leaves Peter\u2019s home alone, and goes \u201cto a deserted place\u201d for solitude and privacy. A place for restoration and fellowship with His Father.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Throughout the gospels, we see that Jesus\u2019 life was marked by prayer:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When He was baptized, we are told that He was \u201cpraying.\u201d (Luke 3:21.)<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When He was transfigured, we are told, that \u201cas He prayed, the form of His face was altered.\u201d (Luke 9:29.)<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Before He chose the twelve apostles, we are told that \u201cHe continued all night in prayer to God.\u201d (Luke 6:12.)<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In the garden of Gethsemane, He said, \u201cSit here, while I pray.\u201d (Mark 14:34.)<\/span><\/p>\n

    In short, our Lord always prayed, and did not faint. Sinless as He was, He set us an example of diligent communion with His Father. Him being Fully God and Fully man did not stop Him from demonstrating the need for us to be fully dependent on our Heavenly Father in prayer. It was said by J. C. Ryle, that <\/span>\u201cwe ought to see the immense importance of private devotion. If He who was \u201choly, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners,\u201d thus prayed continually, how much more ought we who are compassed with infirmity? If He found it needful to offer up supplications with strong crying and tears, how much more needful is it for us, who in many things daily offend?\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

    Do you see the immense importance of private devotion to the Lord? Or are you like Peter who gets carried away with the worries of this world? Do these worries hinder your private devotion to your Heavenly Father? When Jesus was communing with His Father, Peter and those with him sent out a search party for Him\u2026 the crowds had returned for more miracles, and they needed Jesus asap! Peter cries out, \u201cEveryone\u2019s looking for you!\u201d In other words, \u201cWhat are you doing here? This is not where you should be! You need to be with the crowds! We are building a following. Things are beginning to happen! You don\u2019t have time to be alone in prayer! There is a more effective way to do thing around here\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    Right now, you may be thinking, \u201cPeter is crazy\u2026 I myself know that prayer is important!\u201d I want you to pause for a second and check your heart. It\u2019s time for a reality check for both of us. Ready? <\/span>When life gets crazy, do you diminish your time in the Word and in prayer? Do you skip that time all-together? Is your first solution to reschedule that quiet time? <\/span><\/i>In this text, we see the Lord Jesus prioritized prayer. Before anything else, we must pray! Oswald Chambers said it so nicely, \u201cPrayer does not equip us for greater works\u2014 prayer is the greater work.\u201d How weird would it be if you continually rescheduled a date with someone whom you loved dearly? Either you have some bad time management skills or you simply don\u2019t care about\u00a0the person. If you genuinely loved them, you would carve out a time each day to see them! Maybe you can relate to that\u2026 but, I plead with you\u2026 how much more valuable is your time with the almighty, infinite God? Paul saw Christ at His true worth! He counted all loss due to the \u201csurpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus\u201d (Philippians 3:8). Are we willing to sacrifice all things to commune with God? It is my prayer that God will stir our hearts into a burning affection for Him alone. May He increase our desire to have\u00a0fellowship with our God through the Lord Jesus Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

    On another note, in this text Jesus also illustrates the priority of preaching (v.38-39), which flows out of a life of prayer. In this text, we see that the Lord Jesus chose the office of a preacher. From the time when He was born, to the time when He died, His daily, and almost hourly work was to preach. He told us, \u201cThis is why I came out\u201d, to preach! In this same passage, we see the whole city flooding to Peter\u2019s house to be healed and see miracles. However, for those searching for him, the call to repentance and faith in Christ was not on their spiritual radar. Like so many of us today, we want a Jesus of our own liking, a Jesus who would perform miracles that fit with our own agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n

    No one truly understood why He had come into the world, but Jesus knew, and He set His priorities straight! Jesus came into the world to preach, to herald, to proclaim the gospel of salvation, a message that is both by Him and about Him. Indeed, He is the gospel! Listen carefully, no church will prosper spiritually without the preaching of the Word of God. John Stott stated that \u201cChristianity is, in its very essence, a religion of the Word of God.\u201d Luther would add, \u201cThe soul can do without all things except the Word of God, and that where the Word is not proclaimed there is no help for the soul in anything whatsoever.\u201d Jesus went throughout all Galilee, preaching the gospel and casting out demons. He did this out of a life of prayer. Prayer and preaching are a two-hit punch that cannot be defeated. This is how the kingdom of God marches on.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Therefore, as we look at the life of the Lord Jesus, we see His priority of prayer and His priority for preaching the Word of God. Right now, you may be asking, \u201chow does this apply to me? What can I do?\u201d I will pull the application right out of the text so that there are no hidden secrets. As a redeemed people, bought by the blood of Christ, we are to pray, and we are to proclaim! It is a complete privilege to commune with God, through the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ. I urge you to set up a regular time in the morning where you will meet with God in prayer and in His Word. Carve out a time each day, maybe even five minutes to start off with. Make the commitment!\u00a0 Secondly, we are to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to a dying world. God uses the means of preaching to save sinners, since the \u201cgospel is the power of God unto salvation\u201d (Rom. 1:16).<\/span><\/p>\n

    However, this act of evangelism will only occur when it flows out of a life devoted to the Lord. If you have truly tasted and seen that the Lord is good, you must speak of Him! Remember that time when you first \u201cfell\u201d in love? Did you want to scream to the world and tell everyone about that special someone? Loved ones, when you have truly beheld the glory of God in the face of Christ you will not be able to contain such joy. Like the Apostle Paul, with a burning fire in your soul, you will proclaim, \u201cWoe to me if I do not preach the gospel!\u201d (1 Cor. 9:16). We must tell of this great love! We must tell of this mighty Saviour! How can we hold it in? If you can hold it in\u2026 have you truly grasped and understood the gospel? A proper understanding of the gospel is fuel for radical discipleship and evangelism. So, what must we do? Well, like the Lord Jesus, we must prioritize prayer and the preaching the Word.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Christian, does your life revolve around a healthy set of priorities? When you first wake up in the morning, where does your mind go to? For many of us, if we are being completely honest, our minds are often filled with the cares and worries of this world, rather than a Christ-saturated mentality. However, as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":686,"featured_media":1699,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[274,277,453,557,562,625,679,683,687,699,823,966,969,975,984,985,1014,1056,1258,1263,1333],"class_list":{"0":"post-1698","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-christ","9":"tag-christian","10":"tag-evangelism","11":"tag-god","12":"tag-gospel","13":"tag-how","14":"tag-jesus","15":"tag-jj","16":"tag-john","17":"tag-joshua","18":"tag-mills","19":"tag-practical","20":"tag-prayer","21":"tag-preaching","22":"tag-priorities","23":"tag-priority","24":"tag-rags","25":"tag-riches","26":"tag-to","27":"tag-top","28":"tag-what","29":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/earlymorning.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3640,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/children-of-the-devil-and-children-of-god-commentary-on-1-john-34-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":1698,"position":0},"title":"Children of the Devil and Children of God: Commentary on 1 John 3:4-10","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"October 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 Last week as we were in the first three verses of chapter 3, I briefly mentioned the fact that not all people are God's children; as the text of course talked about how Christians are God's children. 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He is the true God and\u00a0eternal life.21\u00a0Little children,\u00a0keep yourselves from idols. \u00a0 Are you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Church History"","block_context":{"text":"Church History","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/church-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/02\/hawaii-rain.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/02\/hawaii-rain.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/02\/hawaii-rain.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/02\/hawaii-rain.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/02\/hawaii-rain.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/02\/hawaii-rain.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4861,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/thomass-confession\/","url_meta":{"origin":1698,"position":2},"title":"Thomas’s Confession","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"March 7, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"24\u00a0Now\u00a0Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin,[a]\u00a0was not with them when Jesus came.\u00a025\u00a0So the other disciples told him, \u201cWe have seen the Lord.\u201d But he said to them,\u00a0\u201cUnless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/03\/st-thomas-icon-756.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/03\/st-thomas-icon-756.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/03\/st-thomas-icon-756.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2794,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/christ-our-only-plea-psalm-17v1-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1698,"position":3},"title":"Christ, Our Only Plea (Psalm 17v1-2)","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"August 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit! From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right!\" Psalm 17v1-2 Psalm 17, a Psalm of David; one of many Psalms of David crying out to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/faith\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/08\/rain.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/08\/rain.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/08\/rain.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3646,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/lord-of-the-waves-commentary-on-matthew-1422-33\/","url_meta":{"origin":1698,"position":4},"title":"Lord of the Waves: Commentary on Matthew 14:22-33","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"November 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Immediately he\u00a0made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.And after he had dismissed the crowds,\u00a0he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When\u00a0evening came, he was there alone,\u00a0but the boat by this time was a long\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/11\/060404_walk_hmed_11a-grid-6x2-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3787,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/sinners-serpents-and-salvation-john-314-15\/","url_meta":{"origin":1698,"position":5},"title":"Sinners, Serpents, and Salvation: John 3:14-15","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"June 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"14\u00a0And\u00a0as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man\u00a0be lifted up,\u00a015\u00a0that whoever believes\u00a0in him\u00a0may have eternal life. Before we jump into verse 14-15 and it's Old Testament reference, Numbers 21, let us take a moment to connect it to its immediate context (Click here\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/745px-esteban_march_-_moses_and_the_brazen_serpent_-_google_art_project.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/745px-esteban_march_-_moses_and_the_brazen_serpent_-_google_art_project.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/745px-esteban_march_-_moses_and_the_brazen_serpent_-_google_art_project.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/745px-esteban_march_-_moses_and_the_brazen_serpent_-_google_art_project.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/686"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}