The First 100 Things on Your List
First things first. Old Proverb
At the depth of the Great Depression, Charles Schwab, President of Bethlehem Steel, had a meeting with his business consultants and executives. He told them that if anyone could come up with an idea that would make the company more efficient, he would pay them whatever it was worth. A gentleman by the name of Ivy Lee came up with this idea:
At the beginning of each day, write a list of the things you need to do, then rank them starting with the most important. Then, beginning with #1, go through the list. At the end of the day, regardless of the things that come up, you will have taken care of the most important things on your list. Schwab tried this for a few days then had the plan implemented company wide. A few weeks later, Schwab sent Lee a check for $25,000 (A huge amount for the 1930's - equivalent to over $900,000 today). When asked why he would pay such an enormous amount for such a simple idea, Schwab responded with the question, "Aren't most great ideas basically simple?" He was later to say this was the best investment that he had ever made.
How would this advice work for you? If you could truly get the most important things done each day, wouldn't that make you a more efficient worker, boss, parent or whatever role you play? So, what is the most important thing on your list? Isn't it the eternal dwelling place of your immortal soul?
Someday we will all kneel before God in the Judgment and the most important thing - indeed the only important thing - will be this: Am I saved? Are my loved ones saved? When you distill life down to it's essence, salvation is the reason that you and I are here. Even if we were to have successfully completed the top 100 goals on our life's list of most important physical things, we still will have had a most unsuccessful life if we are not saved. And, there will be no one present at the Judgment who wouldn't gladly trade the accomplishment of those 100 physical goals for the most important goal of salvation. So, if you are firmly committed to the path of salvation and if your loved ones are doing the same, then you've easily exceeded the importance of the first 100 things on your list. Then we can start looking at the other items in their proper perspective.
How are you doing with your list?
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God... Christ Jesus our Lord
