The 6:1 Ratio

by Tim Howard

My parents instilled in me a healthy work ethic that still lingers in my mind and affects the way I carry out my responsibilities. If you are like me, you may recall hearing similar statements: “No you can’t go out and play until you clean your room! After you pick up your clothes you may have dessert! When you finish your chores you can spend time with your friends!

Those directives were intended to teach me the value and priority of work. Work first – play second! The goal was good and right but something happened in translation. It actually created a faulty view of work in my own mind. I began to see work as a necessary evil – an undesirable obligation to perform and an obstacle to overcome before I could enjoy life. In short: It was something to be avoided rather than embraced.

I fear that attitude may be more prevalent in our society than we care to admit. Maybe the “T.G.I.F.” slogan reveals a philosophical shift of our priorities from valuing work to making play a more desirable focus.

The Bible tells us that God worked 6 days and rested one. That pattern is presented as a healthy way to live and promises more fulfillment if implemented. We were created to work and not merely relax. We were created to be producers and not just consumers. Granted, there can be an imbalance, which is captured in that little proverb, which says: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”

God involves us in His work because He wants us to live with a sense of purpose and worth. Everyone needs something to do, someone to love and something to hope for. When you seek pleasure more than purpose, you alter the way you were created to function and do yourself a disservice.

I recently re-read an interesting verse in Philippians 2:12-13 that caught my attention. It instructs those who follow Jesus Christ to “work out” their salvation. The author instructs people to do more than get informed. He told them to get involved! Don’t wait for God to do everything for you but respond to His leading by obedience and let him do things through you! When you are willing to partner with Him, participate in His plan and share in the work – God’s blessings are unleashed exponentially!

Many people I meet seem to demonstrate an attitude that demands others to do something for them without any participation from them. That’s called entitlement! It’s an aroma that’s very distinctive in today’s culture. It’s seen in our expectations of parents, government agencies, organizations and even God. If we aren’t careful we can fall into the trap of thinking God isn’t at work while failing to realize the problem is our un-willingness to work.

It’s straight forward, not softened or watered down and some would even say it’s harsh, but the Apostle Paul gives this directive in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 “…we gave you this rule: Whoever does not work should not eat.”

Whether it’s picking up your clothes, cleaning your room, laboring on the job, working on your marriage or earning a living – the 6:1 ration will provide great dividends if done with the right attitude. 

There is no unemployment in God’s Kingdom. There is plenty of work for everyone. Work is not a necessary evil but the pathway to fulfillment.

Priorities

by Tim Howard

Like many young children, I enjoyed learning and playing the game of baseball. One of my earliest memories has to do with ”T” ball. When it was my turn to hit the ball – at the ripe old age of 4,

I remember swinging with all my might. Believe it or not, I hit the ball very hard – I impressed myself! O.K. no one was pitching and the ball was stationary – But I hit it and I was thrilled.

Everybody cheered and shouted accolades with the sound of enthusiasm and joy until they saw me making my way to second base. I was running fast but their shouts of praise turned into a roar of correction and screams for change.

I didn’t know what they knew. You have to go to first base before you go on to the other bases! It was evident that pro ball was not going to be in my future.

What is true for the game of baseball is also true for your life. If you don't put first things first, you will lose – and no one wants to be a loser! No one makes plans to end up bankrupt and lose their business, reputation and possessions. Who marries someone with the desire to be divorced? Losing is not fun, and losing is not what God intends for those who make Him their priority.

Take note of the priorities Jesus mentioned – those things you should do ‘first’ before you move on to other things.

Matthew 22:36-38 "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?" Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the ‘first’ and greatest commandment."

To succeed in life you must make God the first one you turn to in life.

Matthew 6:33: "But seek ‘first’ his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Your first priority is to make God's business your main concern, even above your own.

Matthew 7:4-5: "How can you think of saying, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! ‘First’ get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye." Your top priority in life is to be willing to let God correct your life – before you make an attempt to correct others.

Matthew 5:23-24: "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. ‘First’ go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." The priority of making sure your relationships are free from anger, bitterness, resentment, envy, coveting and any damaging attitude is necessary for a healthy relationship with God

Priorities are essential for you and me to live a life of success and fruitfulness. I wasn’t aware of this principle at the age of 4 – when I hit that ‘T’ ball but I am now – even though Pro Ball is still not in my future.

You must go to first base – first! It's the way you play the game. If you are going to win at the game called life – You must set your priorities.

Priority One

by Andrew Cromwell

It has been said that you can look at a person’s checkbook to see where their priorities are. For many of us this means our top priorities are Citibank, Capital One, Starbucks and Target. Your list might be a little different based on your interests. If you’re into tools then Sears or Home Depot might be on the list. If you’re into shopping online then it might be Amazon. If music is your thing, then it might be iTunes.

Where and how you spend your money does say something about your priorities. Some people value driving newer cars. Others value living in a large home. Some are into lavish globe-trekking vacations. If a friend were to open up your checkbook (or online bank statement), what would it say about what’s important to you?

Money is not the only way to gain insight into what someone loves, time is probably just as important. Time is the great equalizer. Some have more money than others, but everyone has the same amount of time in a day. The way that you choose to spend your 24 hours gives an important insight into your life.

You can tell what someone is into by how much time they spend at it. The people who are into sports spend their time on the couch on game day, watching the game. They probably also spend a significant amount of time reading about the sport and of course managing their fantasy football league. They might spend time shopping for and buying the right jersey and of course the appropriate team flags to fly out their car windows.

If you’re not into sports, you might scoff at this ridiculous display of mis-managed time. But that’s just because sports is just not your thing. Maybe your thing is computers, sewing, gaming, cars, WCW or working out. There’s a million things that people are into and they spend a lot of time doing the thing, thinking about the thing and planning to do the thing. What’s your “thing”? How do you spend your time?

Money and time are two huge indicators of what is truly important to you. People can say that their marriage and their family are their top priorities, but money (and time) talks. Often people say that they are willing to lay their life on the line for their kids, but they aren’t willing to lay their time or money on the line. It’s funny how easy it is to promise that you’re willing to “lay your life down”, but you won’t lay the TV remote down and go out and play ball with the kids outside.

What’s important to you? It is said that you can become an expert on any subject if you were to spend 30 minutes a day for six months studying it. Some of us have become experts on things that are entertaining but that don’t really mean much in the long run. Maybe it’s time to become an expert on the subject of your spouse?

Jesus told a story about a man who found a pearl worth so much that he went out and sold everything to buy it. Far too often we are spending the resources of our lives buying things that are worthless and the pearls are right in front of us all along.