What Are You Working For? Series

Have you ever thought about your priorities, if they are what they should be? I have heard a good way of prioritizing what they should be is to remember the acronym J-O-Y (Jesus, Others, Yourself) Let me give you an example of a good and a bad set of priorities.

Jimmy Johnson divorced his wife of 26 years when he left coaching a college team to become head coach for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League, saying “she no longer fit into his game plan.” He said he needed a wife while coaching on the college level for social functions and to show families that he would be looking out for their sons. In pro football, however, she was an unnecessary accouterment and a distraction to winning. He said winning football was his number one priority!

In contrast to this, Tom Landry, former coach of the Dallas cowboys said, "The thrill of knowing Jesus is the greatest thing that ever happened to me ... I think God has put me in a very special place, and He expects me to use it to His glory in everything I do ... whether coaching football or talking to the press, I'm always a Christian ... Christ is first, family second and football third."

If a football illustration doesn’t work for you, I do have one using hunting.

A group of friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under an eight-point buck.

"Where's Harry?" he was asked.

"Harry had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail."

"You left Harry laying there, and carried the deer back?"

"Well," said the hunter, "I figured no one was going to steal Harry."

Have you ever sat back and thought about what you consider important in life? If you had to break down your week and evaluate how you spend your time and what your focuses are on, what would it reveal about you? Some would say that, “If you want to see what a person’s priorities are, look at their checkbook.” In a way this is true. The Bible does say in:

Luke 12:34 – “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (powerpoint)

However, it has been said that you always have time for what is important to you. So let’s break down a week: 168 hours available to us each week. Let’s subtract eight hours a day for sleep and getting ready for the day. This leaves us a balance of 112 hours. Let’s subtract two hours per day for cooking, eating, cleaning, laundry, etc. This leaves us with 98 hours. Three hours of TV a day takes our time down to 77 hours. Fifty hours a week for work takes it down to 27 hours. Two hours a day for computer usage leaves us 13 hours. The rest of our time is spent in socializing, reading, relaxing, etc.

(title powerpoint)

We did not mention church, civic, or charity obligations. So let me ask each of you a question: How much of our time do we spend on advancing the kingdom of God? Studying or meditating on the word of God? Or serving others in the name of Christ?

In this passage of Scripture, 1 Corinthians 3:9-15, Paul writes to the Corinthian church about priorities and the motives for what is done in the name of Christ.

Paul, in this passage changes from the analogy he used in verses 5-8 of 1 Corinthians 3

***** 1 Corinthians 3:5-8

In the previous passage Paul used an agricultural analogy and now verse 9 introduces the change to an architectural analogy.

1 Corinthians 3:9 – “For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.” (powerpoint)

In chapter three Paul has been talking about our works as Christians. In verses 5-8 he talks about us planting and watering. In verses 10-15 he describes those things we do for Christ as we build this life we live.

In keeping with the architectural analogy that Paul is now employing, he calls himself a “master-builder” in verse 10

1 Corinthians 3:10 – “According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.” (powerpoint)

The word for “master-builder” in the Greek is architekton. This is the term from which we get the word architect. When we think of an architect we think of the individual that designs a building. In Paul’s day, it was assumed that the person who designed the building was also the same individual who would build the building. The general contractor, if you will.