Friday, January 23, 2015

"Set your hearts on his kingdom first . . ."

Priority is an important issue. Where we have two sets of interests, one inevitably has priority, and  the one that has that priority determines what's left for the other set of priorities. I guess that we divide up our days into working days and home time and weekends in part to deal with this. But it creeps into everything. And sometimes (often) it becomes really important to say, what comes first? When we become really involved in an issue, or there is something we want, it can jump to the head of the queue. Of course, there is the priority of the urgent. Some things are not going to be worth doing unless they are done now. Some things need to be done now if normal life is to continue. But sometimes what we want jumps in front of what's important, more deeply important. We can forget our foundations in order to achieve our desires.

That came home to me recently as I was thinking about my future. I won't be with WEC Publications for ever (really I won't). So what's next? Where do I want to be? Whatever I do, I want to be significantly involved in the kingdom of God. Someone close to me said, the kingdom of God is everywhere, so that's not a problem. You can plug into it wherever you go. But then I woke up, and realised that the issue was the priority, and Jesus words came to me: "Set your hearts on his kingdom first ..." It's not that God doesn't want us to enjoy life, or that life should be a perpetual struggle: "and all these other things will be given you as well."

Here at WEC Publications I want us also to have a right priority. I do want a viable business selling books and paying our way. I do want our books to be read, and for people to recognise WEC Publications as an imprint of books worth buying and reading. I do want to build a balanced list of titles giving good spiritual value and offering good inspiring stories. I want our efforts to reflect well on WEC and its work around the world to bring the gospel to those who have never heard it before. But first of all I want to produce books that make an impact in people's lives such that they give themselves more fully to God and His kingdom. I want those who need these books to read them. I want people's lives to be changed by our books.

Let me know if a WEC book has made an impact in your life.

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