Priorities

Someone wise once said “Don’t tell me what your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money and I’ll tell you what they are”. Someone even wiser once said “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. That person was Yeshua. It was from the gospel according to Matthew chapter six verse twenty four. YHVH the God of Abraham of Issac and of Jacob which most of the citizens of the United States profess to follow in some capacity, also had much to say about the subject of wealth and also priorities. When the people of Israel were about to enter the promised land the prophet Moses (speaking for YHVH in the prophetic voice) warned the people,

Deuteronomy 8:10 “When you eat and are satisfied, you are to bless the LORD your God for the good land that He has given you. 11 Be careful not to forget the LORD your God by failing to keep His commandments and ordinances and statutes, which I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses in which to dwell, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Leviticus 19:33 When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him. 34 You must treat the foreigner living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

Exodus 22:21 You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 22 You must not mistreat any widow or orphan. 23 If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me in distress, I will surely hear their cry. 24 My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword; then your wives will become widows and your children will be fatherless.

This is a very serious warning. So let’s take a serious look at it and hopefully do a little introspection. I have noticed that a person’s priorities will effect the way they think about almost every subject. Just as Yeshua said “you cannot serve both God and money” you are required to choose which you will pursue. Your choice will become your priority. Your choice will also color your view of the world. This is where the I am going to ask you to think about your own choices. 

The United States of America is a nation made up of immigrants. Unless you are a pure blooded Native American such as a Navajo or Cherokee your family came to this land as an immigrant. The vast majority of immigrants that come to the US are hard working people that are either fleeing poverty, persecution or they are coming here to make a better life. There are always a few bad eggs in the bunch just as there are bad people that were born here. Such is human nature. Such is life. Let me ask you. How do you think about the subject of immigration? Do you see immigrants as a threat? Do you feel that they are somehow a financial burden on you? Do you feel like they are taking jobs that you are somehow entitled to? Do you want them rounded up and deported? If you do then I know what your priorities are and which choice you have made. You have chosen money. You have not chosen God. The Lord our God has commanded us to treat the immigrant like a brother and to love him as yourself. 

Has it ever occurred to you that every single undocumented alien who is employed was hired by a law breaking American business owner? But, instead of going after the employer for their crime, we go after the immigrant who is working (usually for a very modest wage) doing a job that you and I would not want to do. The employer is profiting off of the labor of the most vulnerable people in our society which is exactly what YHVH warns us not to do. This is just one example of our priorities affecting our world view. I will give you another. Many of us conflate wealth with intelligence. We think that if a person is wealthy then that person must have been intelligent to arrive at that position in life. That is not true. Many factors contribute to wealth such as inheritance or prioritizing wealth above all else including sometimes morals. Truthfully this kind of thinking where one idolizes the wealthy is in fact idolatry and a form of worshiping mammon. I warn you in the kindest way I know that this nation will be required to pay for the sins of how it has treated the least among us. The immigrant, the orphan, the elderly and the sick. It will pay for overcharging for medical care. It will pay for profiting off the misery it has caused because of slavery. It will pay for the deaths and suffering of Native Americans from which this land was stolen. The same people that have, and are, treating the least among us cruelly are frequently heard proclaiming that the US is a christian nation. I declare that we have never lived up to that high moral standard. This nation will be judged for it’s sins. But more importantly to you, you will be held accountable for your sins, attitudes and your priorities. I will leave you with these final words from a man who taught compassion and that many of you claim to follow those teachings.

Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. 43 I was a stranger and you did not receive me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you needed?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’ 46 And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

We can change our priorities, we can repent and choose God before it is too late.