Some of you may be relieved to know that I will not be preaching a “Father’s Day” Sermon this week.  I will however be reminding dads of a very important life choice that is, in truth, critical for all of us.  It has to do with priorities.  One of the greatest challenges in life is keeping the main things the main things.  Distractions abound.  In a culture like ours we have so many options it can make us dizzy.  I think many people in this culture and in the church are afflicted with PADD.  That stands for Priority Attention Deficit Disorder.  (I made that up)  My observation has been that people substitute the priority of love for God and neighbor with the following priorities…1) Pleasing self.  2) Pleasing others.  3) Pleasing self.  Like a compass surrounded by magnets, people run from one false north to another going nowhere but busy in getting there.  We would all be able to list the Godly “main things,” but if I may be blunt, our actions don’t back up our words.  Priorities are revealed by what we do and by the choices we make, not by the words we say.  I cringe a little every time I read Joshua 24.  Joshua reminded God’s people of His covenant and they said, “We will serve the LORD, for He is our God.”  Joshua then said, “No you won’t but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”  That’s my paraphrase of the content but that’s what it means.  He had seen their choices and knew that they were only giving lip service to God.  They responded to him in an argumentative fashion, “No, but we will serve the Lord.”  He then said, “Then put away your idols and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.”  They responded with the same words MINUS appropriate action.  They wrongly thought they could “do it all.”  The book of Judges reveals what happened.  Friends, priorities matter.  Priorities are revealed by actions.  Actions have consequences.  A choice to do one thing is a choice to NOT do something else.  “Choose you this day whom you will serve.”