Word for the day "Relationships are a Priority"

Luke 15:3 (NASB) So He told them this parable, saying, 4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the [b]open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.There are two significant events in my life brought into clear focus the priority of relationship over achievement. Before being called into the ministry, My life was lived out in two ways. During the day a small measure of my success as a young man was working as Accountant in corporate America. I will never forget my first day at work, and feeling pretty good about myself while attending College in the evening. This meant a great deal to me and my family considering I grew up in the projects, and not many of my peers had taken advantage of success opportunities due to bad choices and living in pain. (After all growing in the projects was no joke)!But after a few years of experiencing various degrees of indiscretions, injustices, and compounding it all by making bad choices in dealing with the emotional and psychological pain that accompanies these types of challenges. I had to ask myself does God care about these things? They are deeds to be outdone. Somebody will always come along act unjustly and others will do things better, faster and higher than us. And yes I discovered God cares about the various difficulties we experience family and what happens in our lives now; especially our eternal life!The second significant event in my life was receiving my first Master’s degree. But it turned out to be one of the most anticlimactic days of my life. I heard no applause from heaven, and I don't believe my achievement added so much as an asterisk to my name in the Lamb's Book of Life. I was a child of God before that day and I was still a child of God afterward. Please follow me people of God; accomplishments are great but we must always remember the Big picture family! Relationship with God and with the people in our lives.Do you know what happens in heaven when one sinner repents? Read V6-7 Applause! Why? Because a relationship with God is eternal, while earthly achievements last only for time. Have you sacrificed the eternal to gain the temporal? Have you ignored personal and spiritual relationships in your pursuit of human achievements? Relationships must always have a higher priority than temporal achievements.Prayer: Divine Lord, amidst the pressure of my schedule and clutter of my possessions, help me cherish and nurture my relationships with you and the people in my life today. In Jesus name, Amen.With my whole Heart,Pastor James