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Today I posted my 2000th post on Worthy Christian Forums. This is a milestone I have been somewhat regretting, There was a time, when hitting the milestone of 1000 posts, indicated to me, that I had no life, was spending far too much time online. On the one hand, let's say I spent 10 minutes on average for each post. I suspect my posts usually take far longer than that, but just for fun, 10 minutes it is. Ten minutes times 2000, it 20,000 minutes. That is 333 hours and 20 minutes. Another way of saying that is that it is equivalent to 8-1/3, 40 hour weeks, or about as much time as I would get in four years for vacation, when I was a working man. Again, this assumes only 10 minutes spent per post. I know my posts were longer than that. I am not one of those who goes into a thread and posts "I'm last" (well, maybe once or twice). Yes, you know who you are, LOL! Was my time well spent? Would it have been better, to help a neighbor clean up their yard, or even clean up my own yard? Could I have volunteered at a soup kitchen? Should I perhaps have used that time to preach the gospel to a dying world? Should I have spent time with family, instead of ignoring them?How about prayer, or reading the Bible, might I have used that time to improve my own relationship with God? Another way to ask these questions, is: "Is spending time this way, something that needs to be repented of?" Even more to the point . . .what about my time spent in the chat room here? For every minute I spend posting in the forums, I have hours logged in chat. I could not possibly come close to calculating that. To be honest with myself, and I am not saying this is true for anyone else, but . . . A lot of the time I spend at Worthy, is time spent avoiding things, (somewhat intentionally) that I know I should be doing instead. It is about entertainment, pleasure, etc. I do not think that all pleasure is wrong, by any means, but I do think that how we seek pleasure, can be an indicator of how messed up our priorities can be. Choices, we all make them frequently. Chocolate chip cookies with ice cream, or, fresh broccoli with unsweetened tea. Half an hour in prayer for those in need, or half an hour watching a rerun of "Friends" (okay, that one is easy - prayer is more entertaining). Well, this, like many of my posts and especially my blog, has no plan, no goal, it is just me starting with a seed of a thought, and then rambling on about it, just seeing where it goes. Not that it is important, but you get to see a little of what it is like to live in my head. After noticing that I just seem to be confirming something that is not news to me, that I waste a colossal amount of time engaged in being useless and exercising the gift of procrastination. Let's see if I can twist this slightly in another direction, seeing the glass as half full, instead of half empty. In the half full glass, 2000 posts in that amount of time, is only an average of one post every other day. Viewed in that light, it seems less excessive (as I slip into justification mode). However, it begs the question of what else I might I do with my time, and of any decision about repentance. Knowing that I am (as a now- more or less, self-admitted Calvinist) not naturally wired to seek what is best, I am going to partially repent. I am going to get off Worthy now, and go do something on my to do list. I am going to consider doing something 'radical', like endeavoring to tell at least one person about the gospel each day, even if I have to accost a stranger in the marketplace to do so, in this way there will be 365 less souls each year, uniformed due to my laziness. In celebration of my 2000th Worthy post, I am going to cancel my Hulu Plus subscription (right after I watch that last program waiting in my queue), and at least redeem time wasted there, replacing that time, hopefully, with Bible reading. There, a small bit of sanctification in real time, with little effort, and no pain. Contentment can be so easy!

This is a spin off thread off of "Tithing" in the Outer Court - Outer Court. These are priorities I submit would be a good guideline for Christians. I love this numeric sequencing of priority BUT what about this verse in relation to 2 and 3? Mt 19:29-30 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first. NKJV It seems 1 stands always but 2 and 3 may be inverted depending on 1. Love, Steven Priorities: Jesus made it very clear throughout His ministry what His priorities were and how each of us should follow His example. He addressed the two fundamental categories that encompass all priorities. Jesus taught… Matthew 22:37-40 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” The first commandment addressed the vertical relationship between man and God. The second commandment addressed the horizontal relationship with other people. All of your priorities as a Christian will likely fall into these two basic categories. I actually would like to expand the order to differentiate between marriage and family. I would also like split ministry and work: 1. Loyalty to God – God comes first as we are commanded to Love God with all of our being and have no other gods before Him. Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Exodus 20:2 You shall have no other gods before Me. 2. Loyalty to Spouse – Nothing should ever become husband and wife who are knit together by God as one flesh. (Matt. 19:6) Men are to love their wives sacrificially and unconditionally. Women are to honor their husbands sacrificially and unconditionally. (Eph 5:33) Matthew 19:6 “So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Ephesians 5:33 Let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects [honors] her husband. 3. Loyalty to Family – First to children as they are a gift from God (Psalm 127:3) and parent’s responsibility to bring children up in the Lord. (Eph 6:4) Parents are to instruct and give their children the law. (Prov. 1:8) Next parents & siblings, etc. Proverbs 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother. Ephesians 6:4 And you, fathers [and by implication mothers], do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. We are also called to provide for our own family. (1 Tim. 5:8) This included parents. Jesus spoke against the Scribes and Pharisees for “following tradition” but not taking care of their parents (Matt. 15:1-11) 1 Timothy 5:8 “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Matthew 15:4-6 4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— 6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’ 4. Loyalty to the Church (Ministry) – We are to love God, love people, take care of our own house, then look after the ministries in the Church. If you are reading this right now and you are a Christian serving the Church in some capacity and have put the service to the Church above your spouse or children, please hear what I am about to say. This can’t go on indefinitely. When your service to the church has a higher priority than those people in your own family, something has to give. Your marriage will suffer and your children will become angry with you. Even your ministry will become toilsome because when your home is not in order it’s difficult to minister to others with joy. At the very least you will be unhappy. Your relationships at home must be your priority. 1 Tim 3:5 For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God? 5. Loyalty to Work or Job – Why does ministry come before work? Because we are citizens of Heaven. Philippians 3:20 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” The Gospel is the priority. Riches and all things in this life will pass away. Many people have said, “I don’t have time to serve the Lord or go to church or do family things because I’ve got to provide for my family.” I would agree that providing for your family is very important, but when there is never any time left to serve the Lord or be a companion to your spouse or children, then something is wrong. Don’t let the seeds of the Gospel be choked by the things of this world… Mark4:19 ...and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Do you agree or disagree? Anything to add? Christ is Risen! Eagle Edit: to add Matthew 15 to #3 Family.