First things first. Anon.

One of my favorite illustrations involves a time efficiency expert that was invited to speak at a corporate gathering. He produced a large glass jar, filled it to the brim with big rocks, and asked the audience if anything else would fit. One bright young man immediately offered that the jar was full - nothing more would fit.

Not so, for the speaker took a small sack of pea-gravel, poured the entire bag in and asked if the jar was now full. Most agreed that it was but some, beginning to see a trend, weren't so certain. The man then took a sack of sand and poured it in. "Is it full now?", he asked. Again, most agreed that it was but a few held back waiting to see what else he had up his sleeve. The speaker then took out a pitcher of water and poured the contents in until the jar overflowed. Now the jar was full.

The speaker then asked the question, "What lesson can we draw from this illustration?" The bright young man who had been shot down earlier saw his chance for redemption. "The lesson to be learned is obvious: No matter how full we think our schedules are, we can always fit a lot more in." Vastly pleased, the bright young man sat down and awaited confirmation of  his clever insight. "Wrong", the speaker said, "You are wrong! The lesson to be learned is this: If we want the big rocks to fit, we have to put them in first."

Now, that is brilliant! How often do we go through our days, putting out the hottest fires, without even starting the things that we know are the most important? The fact is that we have been placed on this earth to serve God, and we will someday kneel before Him in Judgment to give an account for nothing but that service. Wouldn't it be wise, then, to put first things first?

What are the "big rocks" in your life? Are you putting them first, or are you dealing with so many pressing (but admittedly unimportant to the big picture) matters that the true priorities no longer fit in your busy schedule? How you and I respond to that question will likely determine the quality of our remaining years... as well as our eternal fate at the Judgment.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

Matthew 6:33, NIV