Recently, I spoke with a man who had resigned his role as a pastor to work at a job he felt God was calling him to do. It requires him to be on the road and away from his family for extended periods of time. I wasn't surprised when he told me that his marriage was in trouble.

Friends, we can't possibly do wrong by our family and do right by our ministry. God has instituted a list of priorities to help guide our lives:
1. God;
2. Spouse;
3. Children;
4. Work and everything else.

How often do we get this order messed up? Every time we do, there are dire consequences to pay.

My dad hadn't been a believer long before he began pastoring a small church, which he added to his full-time job at the post office. When he died in March of 1988, the church was filled with standing-room only of people whose lives he had touched--those he'd prayed for, visited in the hospital, or given money to. But on the first two rows were his eight children who barely knew their dad. Ballgames had been left unattended and decisions unadvised--while their dad took care of other matters.

I'm sure Dad loved God the most, but I'm not sure Mom and all of us came next. As a result, his ministry was never all it could be, and all of us missed out on the relationships we could have had.

Whatever task or purpose you feel God has called you to do, keep your priorities straight. Make your devotion to God first, your spouse second, and your children third. If the new opportunity works within those priorities, then do it. If not, let it go.

That's all I wanted to say to you. The decisions you make today to put your family first will impact all your tomorrows--and all your relationships within them.