Priority: Which Race?

by Amey Edens

Can you believe the month of May is already here?! I think you can all relate to my excitement because May means summer and I love summer. In Indianapolis, May is known for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, also known as the Indianapolis 500. Did you know that the Indianapolis Speedway is the largest sporting facility in the world with more than 250,000 grandstand seats and the ability to host close to 400,000 people on race day throughout the entire property?  

There are 33 drivers who compete for the title and their priority is to cross the finish line first. Those drivers train hard the entire year to be the best. They want to win because it brings them fame, success, wealth, and maybe even a sense of entitlement. After all, isn’t that what they have worked hard for all year long? 

My question to you: what is your priority? What race are you training for? Is it success, wealth, fame, or more material things? The goal you are racing toward sets your priority.  

Priority is A GOOD WORD for the month of May. The root word of priority is prior, meaning coming before in time, order, or importance. God tells us that we are to make Him our priority. We are to put Him first in importance. In fact, it is the first commandment He gives us, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). In Revelation 1:8, He also reminds us He is first, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’” 

Let me put my personal race in neutral for a moment so I can reflect on my past. I was running my own race and didn’t even know what I was racing for. God was not my priority. I was making the things of the world a priority such as hanging out with the wrong people, in the wrong places, watching the wrong things, listening to the wrong music, chasing the wrong kind of success, and corrupting my mind with toxic thoughts. Let’s just say, my race ended in a divorce resulting in two broken children, a broken checking account, a broken heart, and a broken spirit. 

Are you reading between the lines? I was broken and desperate for something that could fill my heart with truth, love, and forgiveness. I needed someone to help me pick up all my brokenness and put me back together so I could run the race of a lifetime. Isn’t that what God wants for us? Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith.” This is our race. We are racing for eternal life with our Creator. We can only achieve that if we make God our priority.  

Let’s look at the walk of Daniel and what we can learn from him. Daniel is one of my favorite books of the Old Testament. “Be like Daniel” is hand-written in my Bible throughout its chapters. It is not just my favorite because it gives a direct prediction of the Messiah, but it reveals what kind of character Daniel had. Daniel put God first and he shows us how to train. Daniel had been taken captive and sent to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel was an example of how to keep God first and live a Godly life in a sinful world. Daniel was faithful, he was courageous and obedient. Daniel did not waiver in his walk with God. He stayed focused on God and trusted God. For instance, “Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine,” and because of this, “God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel” (Daniel 1:8-9). Daniel made God a priority, staying faithful and God blessed him. I want to receive that kind of favor and blessing from God too! Daniel found a way to obey God without compromising in a sin-filled world. Why do you think that is? Because Daniel made God a priority in his life. When we make God a priority, we too can have a life like Daniel that is filled with God’s favor. The book of Daniel is packed with some rich stories of faith, trust, and courage. It’s too much to unpack in this short message, but I want to encourage you to take some time to study the book of Daniel.  

Daniel did not compromise his faith. Daniel was chosen by God, he stayed committed to God, and he made a choice not to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar. What does it take to live a life like Daniel? We must be willing to surrender and make God a priority by inviting God into every area of our lives. We must be in the Word daily seeking knowledge, wisdom, and understanding to train for the race set before us.  We must live out our faith by modeling Christ-like character so we can share God with others.   

After all, didn’t God make us his priority by sending his son to die on a cross for us so we can have eternal life in heaven? I want to walk with God in the garden, don’t you? Together, let’s make God our priority every minute of every hour!