A man recently described his visit to a Charity auto auction in this way.
“The Vehicles were classified as either “Running” or “No Start. I watched
the auction as it made its way through the many cars in the parking lot.
Then a particular vehicle was reached on the parking lot on the block was a
No Starter. It had a shattered windshield, two missing tires, a sagging
front bumper, and a cockeyed grille, a hood that was sprung up at an angle,
and dings and dents all over the body.

Before he started the bidding, the auctioneer announced the car’s year,
make, and model, and then read the previous owner’s comments: ‘Please note –
the radio does not work.'”

Humm, I don’t think I would have listed the “radio” as the most important
non working part on that car, but perhaps it had belonged to a teenager!

I realize, as I hope you do, someone’s priorities were out of balance. But
we tend to look at things in a pretty out of balance way concerning our
lives also, don’t we? The things that should be of real importance get
shoved to the back of our lives by the next urgent thing that falls in our
lap.

I was asked recently, “How do you know that you are really putting God first
in your life?” I guess I would say it was when you stop letting him be
pushed to the back of your life by the urgent as a matter of course.

We tend to get into the habit of dealing with the urgent and not the
important. We need to get a handle on prioritizing our life and making sure
that God is at the top of the list in everything we do. You are more than
likely familiar with the saying “What would Jesus do?”, this asked the
question of us concerning how we will respond to everyday events in our
lives. Perhaps we also need to ask ourselves, “If God is first in my life,
where will this thing, event or action fit into my life as a priority?”

It’s like this: What’s more important to your car, a working engine or a
working radio? Or perhaps like this, “What is more important in your life,
whatever you are doing or what you should be doing for God?” A couple of
scriptures come to mind regarding this. In Matthew 6:21 Jesus said, “For
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” And James adds this
thought, “But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your
faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do,” (James
2:18).

So the bottom line just may be this: Your actions speak just as loudly as
your words regarding what is really your top priority. Jesus said it this
way in Matthew 5:15-16, “Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put
it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds
shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly
Father.”

Your life may have, “a shattered windshield, two missing tires, a sagging
front bumper, a cockeyed grille, a hood that is sprung up at an angle, and
dings and dents all over your body and your radio may not work, but if your
engine still runs (if you have a heart that serves God) that’s all that
really matters. You can tell your priorities by your actions. So, what is
most important to you? Hopefully it is your relationship with our God!

–Russ Lawson