Our Lives Are Shaped by Priorities. Is Your Spiritual Growth One of Them?

An athlete’s entire world is centered around their training. Specific meal plans, workout routines, sleep schedules, and water intake are critical to their goal of performing well in competition — all of this, of course, only accompanies the rigorous training as part of their sport of choice. A professional musician spends hours a day rehearsing their music and often will have years of musical knowledge concerning their instrument, music theory, composition, and all that’s entailed to better their craft.

Perhaps you’re not a professional athlete or a musician, but surely, you’ve spent a great deal of time improving some areas of your life. For instance, maybe you’ve spent years disciplining yourself in the world of academics. It’s possible you’ve read countless books on how to be a better spouse or parent. Those with careers commonly spend a lot of time working towards growth within their field, be it a promotion or merely a stamp of approval from those in the professional circle. Analyze your life. What are the things you care about? I wonder if it’s even possible to track how much time you have put into those things.

The goal here is not to accuse anyone of anything, but a question comes to mind, and it seems appropriate to raise it here: We happily put effort into personal, academic, or professional growth. But what about our spiritual growth? How often do we say, “I don’t have time to read Scripture”? Maybe you’re familiar with the feelings of being “too tired” for church. Prayer, as nice a concept as it is, quickly assumes the role of afterthought in our lives. And yet, in Matthew 4:4, Jesus Himself said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Romans 10:17 says our faith comes from “hearing through the word of Christ.” The Psalms describe Scripture as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path; something we store up in our hearts as to not sin against the Lord (Psalm 119:105; 119:11). Ecclesiastes says “the whole duty of man” is to “fear God and keep His commandments,” which can only be done by knowing Him and His commands through His Word. 2 Timothy describes the Bible as the means by which we’re “complete” and “equipped for every good work.” Jesus says the Word is truth that sets us free.

Really, all of Scripture proclaims our need for Scripture. All of Scripture proclaims our need to pray. Time with the Lord, via our communication with Him in prayer and time spent in His Word, are the most valuable, precious, and significant ways we could spend our time engaging in. Jesus knew this. In His earthly ministry, we see how He knew Scripture, preached Scripture, and lived out Scripture. Encompassing all of this was His consistent communion with His Father in prayer. Jesus is the best example we have of prioritizing spiritual discipline over all other disciplines, and we’re supposed to imitate Him, right? Yet not only do we often fail to imitate Him, we also often neglect to even try.

Jesus said in John 14:15, “Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words.” This is not to say you don’t love your Lord and Savior, but do you keep His words? Do you read His Word? We may proclaim, “Lord, I love you!” But do we also proclaim, “I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8)?

It would seem the topic is clearly mapped out by now: God’s Word is utterly substantial and worthy of being the top priority in our lives. And so, the issue, then, has been made clear as well. That is, the fact that we don’t prioritize it. We prioritize other things. But don’t you see? The pursuit of spiritual growth is worth putting forth the same effort as we would toward any other form of growth. In fact, it’s worth infinitely more effort — hopefully you will soon be convinced of this, if you aren’t already.

If I had to guess, it’s a perspective focused on the immediate that drives us to prioritize things other than spiritual growth, and this isn’t surprising. It’s easy to see how working toward a healthy diet, physical activity, or career advancement is beneficial now, and when we focus on these things, we often allow the importance of spiritual growth to be swept under the rug. However, challenge yourself to consider these areas in light of eternity, and you just might see how miniscule their weight truly is.

One day, our bodies and worldly achievements will fade away. If we shove the maturing of our faith to the side, it may be too late that we realize our faith was all that mattered. In reality, unlike everything else that will fade away, our souls will go with us into eternity, which inevitably makes them the most important aspect of our life now. Am I saying you should put aside all earthly ambition in order to pursue spiritual growth? Certainly not. The argument is that prioritizing spiritual growth is what allows you to then prosper in other areas.

It would be a mistake to think our spiritual well-being only matters when considering eternity. It surely does matter then, but it equally matters now. It’s worth our every effort to grow in our faith now because the effects of such a pursuit will become manifest in both the immediate and what’s to come.

“Right Now Counts Forever” is the title of a multi-volume series by the late pastor and theologian R.C. Sproul. The point of this series was to draw the spiritual significance out of everyday headlines, mostly to prove that our faith plays a role in all areas of life. My question is: Is this the perspective you have each day? Do you believe what you do right now counts for eternity? If so, then it may change the way you view your priorities. You just might see the spiritual growth that’s easily forgotten is exactly what you need to get through today, tomorrow, and each day that’s to come.

Beloved, a Christ-centered life is a good life, indeed. A heart with the Word of God written upon it is one that can have peace in the chaos, joy in the trial, and hope for the future. A life that prioritizes spiritual growth is one that inevitably leads to growth elsewhere. The way I see it, a strong faith makes for a better friend, spouse, relative, co-worker, athlete, musician — you name it!

We already know, as we’ve read from 1 Corinthians 10:31, to “do all to the glory of God.” What we prioritize should glorify God, as well. And truly, I cannot think of a better way to glorify Him than by making His Word, His truth, and revelation what we cherish most.