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

Auction survey – an auction survey on cars:

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