This post was written for Plethos Global's Discipling the Home blog.
The so-called dominance hierarchy. This is the idea that
there is a higher-ranking animal within a given social order. Alpha wolves, for example,
lead the pack. Same with domestic hens. One member of a specific species has
the capacity and power to dominate others. How funny would it be to imagine an
emaciated, mangey wolf leading a pack filled with lean, strong, healthy pack
members?
Would you believe it though that priorities have a pecking
order? It’s baked right into the name, after all. A priority is “something
that is considered more important than other matters”. If you had to
evaluate what was most important in your life, what would it be? What would be
your measuring stick? What if I told you that what we prioritize is what we do?
Our values might be internal, but the things we most cherish come out in the
physical. What we think matters most
gets our best—our money, our time, our emotional bandwidth.
Do our priorities match God’s priorities though? After all,
the Great Commandment and the Great Commission are intimately tied together.
“Make disciples” is an application of “love the Lord your God…and love your
neighbor as yourself”. I miss the mark here more
often than I would like to admit. Even more, loving people by making disciples
is not always on my mind when I am working, reading, gaming, or, most importantly,
when I am at home. One of the greatest threats to discipleship in the home is
that our priorities are not God’s. We can be awesome parents and amazing
spouses, but still miss God’s heartbeat for your home by degrees.
Can we course correct? Friend, you can! Let me encourage you
to act in a few ways:
- Discipleship priorities privilege
God’s desires for the home. The Spirit leads us in truth, but the
vocabulary that He uses to do that is Scripture. He will never lead you
to do something contrary to the Bible. And He longs to show you God’s heart for
Himself, yourself, and the world around you. The primary way He does
that is through the inspired Word! Do you know what God thinks of your home?
Deuteronomy 6:6-8 echoes out of the pages of the Hebrew Bible to us today
highlighting the critical importance of family—and discipleship in your
family. Prioritize discipleship in your home above all else, in everything
you do.
- Discipleship priorities
are fed in prayer. We need spiritual help to prioritize spiritual
discipline. Not only do we follow Jesus, our Master. We are also helping others
do the same. Imagine Jesus—filled with the Spirit, healing the sick, calming
storms…that Jesus—went off to pray. Regularly and often. He
would pray for his friends; He even prayed for us. If Jesus prayed for those
He discipled—including us—then we join him. Not only for our good but also for
their good
- Discipleship priorities
are planned in advance. “Proper preparation prevents poor
performance.” A family gathering around the Word and prayer frantically or
sloppily is still a family being discipled. Could it be done better though?
Absolutely. Spending just a couple of minutes in selecting a passage to read,
assigning who can pray, what time y’all are going to do it communicates worth.
- Discipleship priorities
require participation. Execute. All that is left is to do the thing.
This is hard for career-driven workaholics who naturally prioritize income and
provision as a significant priority. And while parents must provide for kiddos,
don’t buy the hype! The most important thing you can do is teach your kids to
follow Jesus! Husbands, give your wives the Word! Wives, pray for and over
your families.
I’m praying for you right now,
asking God to move love for him and your family to its most at-home place in
your life. You’re planned up, prayed up, and Worded-up. Demonstrate Jesus’
priorities to your families.
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