"X" Marks the Spot - Part Three in the Prioritize Your Life Series

Let’s go treasure hunting! 

Really, that is what life is all about right? Looking for those things that few have but we all want: the “jewels” of life. 

A great relationship, a good career, and a memorable life are just a few of the “jewels” we chase. 

What if I told you that obtaining these things are possible? What if I said, it all depends on you?  

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:19-21 

A Focus on Priorities 

Earlier this week we talked about how to develop priorities. Now we need to talk about applying our priorities. 

For me, my optimum list looks like this: (Yours may be different) 

· God 
· Myself 
· My husband 
· My kids 
· My friends 
· My career 
· My ministry 
· My finances 

These are the “jewels” in my treasure. 

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Now What? 

Once your list of priorities done, there is that moment (at least for me) of “now what”? What is the next step? 

The next step is action statements followed by…you guessed it…ACTION! 

Action statements are like words of affirmation. These are little notes to yourself that allow you to hone your focus to surgical precision. 

Here is an example of a few of my Action Statements. (hint: all statements should prompt you to “do” something) 

Friends: I AM supportive, caring, and wise. I speak into my friends lives with love and honesty. I pray for my friends. I rejoice with them, I cry with them, and I hold a banner of love and safety over them. No matter the circumstances I (sometimes gently and sometimes with great passion) always point them back to Jesus. 

My Career as a Writer: I am a writer. I write every day. I write about Jesus, and I write about life. I write for myself and I write for others. I guest post on other blogs, I read constantly to hone my skills. I seek relationships that allow me to grow as a writer. First I seek mentors. Secondly, I seek to mentor. I give away my gift. I am a generous writer. I write to illuminate the solutions to life’s issues, not stir up strife or cause discord. I write as a career and as a ministry. 

These are just examples. Do you see how to write your Action Statement? It needs to be in first person present tense. Did I lose you? Ok then, just remember to write it with statements of action “I do” rather than “I will do”. 

Now go live those statements. Following the examples above it would look like this for me: when I hang with friends, I pray with them, support them, and love them. When I am at my desk, I don’t spend hours goofing off on games and Facebook. I actually write! 

Do the work! 

This is the map to your treasure, now you have to dig in and discover your best life now. Priorities are just one step on the treasure map but without them, you will never find the X that marks the spot for your treasure! 

Have you made your priorities list yet? Are there any differences that surprised you when you got done? 

Priorities Perfected Part Two in the Prioritize Your Life Series

Today this post goes up later than usual. 

You know why? 

Because today I went to a funeral of a man so loved and honored that it took from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to say goodbye. 

People had wonderful things to say about him. He was honored by neighbors, community leaders, and everyday men and woman. Pastors were begging for the honor of conducting the service, because this man was so amazing in life. 

His name was Luther L. Davis and he was someone I barely knew, yet his life and testimony reached hundreds of people. 

As person after person got up to share stories of Brother Davis’ faithfulness, his love, his service to God and his service to the people God called him to love, tears streamed down my face. 

At one point my pastor, who had conducted the bulk of the service, asked me “You didn't know Brother “D” very well did you?” 

My answer was this: “No, but you did, you loved him, and because of that, I loved him and wanted to honor him for what he meant to you.” 

What a life. He impacted people so profoundly that by acquaintance he was influential. 

Brother Luther Lloyd Davis 89 years old. 

The most poignant and awe inspiring thing said today was by my pastor as he eulogized Brother Davis. 

“In 1958 Brother Davis changed my life forever, and I wasn't born until 1961. That year Brother Davis made a profession of faith and he never looked back. He served, he gave, he loved. He will be missed.” 

Think about that. 

What a legacy. 

As I talked to people after the service people said over and over in one way or another that Brother Davis was a good man, a Godly man, and a man worth knowing. He impacted and imprinted people for Jesus wherever he went. 

What kind of legacy will you leave behind?


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In Michael Hyatt's book, Creating Your Personal Life Plan, he asks “What will they say when I am dead?” Michael goes on to explore this idea in the context of relationships and how that impacts his priorities. 

(If you have not read this book, I hope you go to MichaelHyatt.com and subscribe so you can download it for free. It is a wonderful book. ) 

Michael says “This is an incredibly powerful question. To answer it, you have to “fast forward” to the end of your life and look back. This exercise forces you to think about the things that matter most.” 

Obviously, Brother Davis did things right somewhere along the way. To be honored in such a heartfelt way and to leave such a reach legacy of love and service behind means he had his priorities in order. 

He chose God first, his wife, then his church (he had no children of his own) then his community. He walked out these priorities every day by his acts of love and service. 

Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” 

This was the key to this man’s legacy. He lived out loud for God and loved people all along the way. 

As a man with the “keys” to the church in his 50-something years of service at my church, Brother Davis was a fixture. As a way to honor him, and to remind us to strive to be better servants, the pastor gave us each a single key. 

It unlocked no doors. 

No one walked away as a winner of a new truck. 

The key just reminds us that in order to leave a legacy like Luther L. Davis, we have to serve God first. 

Love God, Love people, and serve others. What a perfect example of priorities perfected! 

Was there ever a Brother Davis in your life?