Putting First Things First

Introduction. The number one is an important number.

  • It is the beginning of a series (count ten apples - start with one).
  • It is the start of any process (bake a cake - 1st take so much flour).
  • In comparison with other numbers it can indicate age (first baseball glove) or priority (“my first choice is strawberry - if they have it”).
  • In competition it indicates victory (“I came in first in the spelling bee” or “Our football team is rated number one”).
         I’d like for us this morning to look at several things which Scripture teaches are to be “first.” All deal with slightly different areas of life and faith.

    I. Spiritual Priorities.

    1. What must we seek first in life? (Matthew 6:25-34).
           Longfellow said - “Most people would succeed in small things if they were not troubled by great ambitions”. Sadly most of our ambitions are not “great” but simply material, temporary and puny.
      (Example: Ant carrying a crumb around an obstacle - matters little in the long run. Does he aspire immortality? He cannot even conceive of such - interested in a meal). Sadly our priorities are often just as fleeting. If we are to attain what is truly a great ambition the Bible teaches we must not be overcome with worry about the small things.
    2. What does God ask first of man? (Matthew 22:35-38).

      Illustration: I heard a little parable which demonstrates the idea of love with the whole heart. Mother tells child to take a beautiful flowered plant to a sick friend. Child gets to the door, tears off one leaf - keep the plant for herself. Same thing for several days. Has she obeyed the mother's command? Of course not! Giving a little “leaf of love” to God every now and then doesn’t fulfill God's command either. He wants all of us.

    3. What part do we owe God?
      1. Giving the firstfruits. (Numbers 18:8-17).
             One reason this is true is because in reality these things belong to God. He has loaned them to man for a time. Offering the first of what we have acknowledges this fact.
      2. The firstfruits of our time. (I Corinthians 16:1,2; Acts 20:7; Hebrews 10:23-25).

    II. Priorities In Relation To Others.

    1. What should concern us most about others? (John 1:35-42).
           Often we have family or friends whom we love. We feel great concern for them and want the best for them. Perhaps they are in a job they don't like and we hope for them that they will find an enjoyable one. Or find a good mate. - The most important thing is their soul!
    2. What should be done before advising others? (Matthew 7:1-5; Matthew 23:23-26).
           Much of this really goes to the matter of character and credibility. Who will give any credence to the man who says one thing and does another. Or preaches what his life does not demonstrate. All of us have weaknesses but we must consider these weaknesses in our (often harsh) judgments of others.
           Phillips Brooks wrote - “Be such a man, and live such a life, that if every man were such as you, and every life a life like yours, this earth would be God's paradise.” That is a lofty aim - yet we strive to imitate Jesus Himself. We must strive to let others see Him in us.
    3. What must be done before we worship God? (Matthew 5:21-24).

    III. Lifestyle Priorities.

    1. What should govern our daily life? (II Corinthians 8:1-5).
      Ralph Waldo Emerson said - “The only gift is a portion of thyself”
    2. Where should our religion begin? (I Timothy 5:3,4).

    Conclusion. There are many things in life that fight to have first priority in our lives. Let’s work to make certain that we put first the things God would have us put first.