Making a List - Martin Wiles

Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a leader and go back to Egypt!” Numbers 14:4 NLT

Making a list and checking it twice—or three or four times, enhances productivity. 

I’m the king of list making. I’ve been making lists since I was a young boy and never outgrew the practice. Since I have a good memory, making lists is probably unnecessary, but I feel more confident when I do. I list what I plan to accomplish weekly on my calendar—of which I keep three. I also list my monthly goals and sometimes my yearly goals. After all, there are those things that only occur annually.  

My wife follows suit. She makes a list before going to the grocery store, a list of announcements to give to the IT men at church, and a list of things that need to go on the church calendar and in the monthly newsletter. 

Occasionally, things that shouldn’t creep onto my list. Perhaps not sinful, just unhealthy or unwise. Like grabbing that bag of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. They weren’t on the list…at least not the written one. 

God’s people once let something slither onto their list that shouldn’t have. Egypt. They had just left 400 years of slavery, but the challenges of the wilderness and the dangers of the anticipated Promised Land lured their eyes backward. They didn’t go, but it took 40 years of wilderness wandering for God to convince them to strike Egypt from their list. 

Jesus says loving Him totally and then others as myself should be the top two things on my list. Family follows. God created it long before He did the church. Healthy and intact families are the foundation for a thriving society. Church comes next. God has given me gifts and talents He wants me to use in and outside of the church to further His Kingdom. That’s why I’m a member of the 5 a.m. writing club. Then come hobbies. I need time for myself. Time to unwind. Time to enjoy something I’m not going to be graded on, tested for, or paid money to do. 

If I do all of the above and in that order, it’s doubtful I’ll have time for anything else. But if I do, it should come last. 

How does your list stack up against what God says should be on a life list?

Prayer: Father, help us put our life lists in the order that would please You. 

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