CHANGING PRIORITIES

Think about these questions for a moment: Is the television remote in your hand? Are you usually in the driver’s seat? Do you place yourself in the center of whatever is going on? We like to be people in control. We like to be in the center. Most of us, maybe even all of us, have a hard time putting ourselves in the second position. We want to be in control. God is calling us to re-orient our thinking. He is calling us to be different. He wants us to give up our control so that he can be in control. That is what being in second is all about. It is giving God control of our lives. It is placing him in the priority position. It is being obedient to his leading.

TLet me share with you about a young lady in our ministry who has decided to live in the second position. Her name is Briann, and she is a senior in high school this year. Briann has asked God to use her to make a difference in her school. She didn’t know what that would mean entirely, but opened herself up to whatever God wanted. Briann just wanted to be used, and it has happened in somewhat unorthodox ways.

Briann has been asked to drive some of her friends from parties. They intentionally asked her so they will get home safely and knowing that there is something different about her. Second, Briann was the counselor in the face of tragedy. When a classmate committed suicide, Briann was sought out by students for comfort. Here’s the thing: Briann is pointing students to a loving God by being a loving friend.

Loving God is best lived out by loving others. When God has control of our lives, we learn how to love others better than we ever thought we could. Let God have control.

R.W. Moody Jr.

R.W. Moody Jr. is a Youth Ministry Team member and the pastor of student and family ministries at Parkgate Community Church in Pasadena, Texas. He can be reached at rwmoody@parkgate.org.