Torch, Fall 1990

.. Our by Ron Coriell Director for Public Relations Managing Editor, Cedarville TORCH ·r. First merican proverb: "Never put off until tomonow what you can do today." Reported European proverb: "Put off everything you can until tomorrow, for tomorrow you might not have to do it. " We chuckle together. The fact is that both approaches are correct in certain circumstances. It depends upon our priorities. Webster' s dictionary defines a priority as something with the state of being prior. It also means superior in rank, privilege, or position. In one sense all priority questions are "when" questions. They involve when we do the superior things. Priorities also have to do with what we want to do . This relates to our values. Then the bottom line on priorities is, do we want the superior things first? We should. But, do we? What are the superior things? Are they what we value the most? An expert in Jewish law asked Jesus one day , "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matthew 22:36, 37). This answer, by the greatest Man Who ever lived, is the greatest priority ever stated. It is the basis for our entire Christian value system. If we do not put love for God at the top of our list, we will have all of eternity to be sony. The Bible reinforces the priority of God in several other passages. John 14:6 relates how Jesus Christ is the answer to the most important question in life-how a person gains entrance into heaven. In Matthew 10:37-39, Priority Jesus tells us He is to receive more love from us than we show towards our parents, even our own children. Matthew 12:30 states, "He that is not with me is against me...." In summary, God will accept no other priority from us but Himself. Anne Ortlund, in her classic Disciplines of a Beautiful Woman, gives several suggestions for putting God first. 1. Practice His presence. Psalm 16:8 states, "I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." We set Him before us as we talk to Him throughout the day and control our actions as if He were watching over our shoulder. 2. Jealously guard a daily quiet time. "Thy words were found , and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart..." (Jeremiah 15:16). Just as we need physical food on a daily basis to stay healthy, we need spiritual food from God ' s Word for spiritual vitality. 3. Seek the Lord in occasional longer hunks of time. Luke 6:12 tells us that Jesus spent an entire night in prayer. Have you ever spent just one hour in prayer? How about an entire day in Bible study seeking a special blessing from the Lord? 4. Be diligent in your public worship. It was Jesus ' custom to go to the synagogue, according to Luke 4: 16. We should go to church to get something out of it. We should also go to church for what God gets out of it- glory and delight in our faithfulness. The first Queen Elizabeth asked a man to go abroad for her on business. "I sincerely wish I could, but I can 't/' said the man. "My business is very demanding. It would really suffer if I left. " "Sir," replied the Queen, "if you will attend to my business, I will take care of your business ." St. Augustine summed up the matter of priorities when he said, "Love God and do what you please." In this issue of Cedarville TORCH several priorities are covered that, if applied, will affect our lives for eternity. To be quite honest, they already have had a tremendous impact on my life as I worked with the publication. Also included in this issue is President's Report 1990. This summary of the past academic year is a testimony of advancement of this Christian college. '' Love God and do what you please. ' ' St. Augustine Cedarville exists because five godly men deemed Christian education a priority I03 years ago. The vision of these found– ers lives on today in a vibrant Christian liberal arts college preparing over 1,900 youth for the challenges of the 21st century. As you read this special report from our president, Dr. Paul Dixon, I believe you will join with all of us at Cedarville in expressing gratefulness to our great God.