Saturday, 19 July 2025

I really need to be first!!

In the armed forces, the men and women involved are pretty amazing - they give it their all - they really do stick together, and many times of hardship, war, and turmoil, when everything must seem intolerably difficult, many would give their own life for others.

It is a truly remarkable way, and it always astounds me.

All the armed forces standards include a range of values, behaviours, and physical requirements. I personally can't imagine what lower standards would mean, especially under all operational activities and effectiveness.

Values in the ADF include Service, Courage, Respect, Excellence, Distinction, Quality, Integrity, and heaps more.

These amazing qualities in our armed forces guide behaviour and all decision-making, ensuring all members of the armed forces act with selflessness, strength, and respect. They also must meet the physical requirements, doing all sorts of amazing regimes to keep their fitness as their number one priority. 

Their regime includes emotional well-being. decision making and basic wisdom in all acute situations.

Unfortunately, in today's world, those feelings and attitudes hardly exist at all.

Way back at creation, God loved Adam and Eve and told them not to eat of this special tree in the garden, but you know the story well - Eve was tricked by the evil Satan, and she ate of the tree knowing it was THE tree God told her not to eat of. She gave good old Adam the same fruit, and well... you know the rest of the story.

God loved them, and I guess He didn't want robots - he wanted them to make their own way, their own minds, and their own hearts to love and worship Him. They sinned against God, and from then on, sin entered the world, and it was all downhill from there.

God originally gave us choices to make. I don't feel He wanted us to be like robots, just perfectly doing what we are told. 

It made me think of others and their constant need to excel in all sorts of situations. Putting themselves first, regardless of who gets in the way.

I worked in Human Resources for years, and during that time, I saw so many circumstances where excelling at some point was like running in a race and making yourself come first. Striving - constantly striving on and on.

You see it even when driving, for example, people need to be first - their need to excel is astounding.

We see it even in our own neighborhood, where parents both work and have to leave early in the morning, and often don't come home till fairly late - often children come home from school to an empty house (the latch-key kids). Many Mums and Dads are off to work constantly, working hard to keep up with today's standards. Constantly striving to outdo and excel.

I know it is hard, it can be very hard - I understand this. Balancing work and family life in today's society is hard!

In Proverbs 3:6, the Bible says, "In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct and crown your efforts with success."

Looking at that through the above perspective and what it teaches us about our occupations makes it pretty plain that our career, job, and status in life definitely come second to God Himself and family time. Working is really only a tool to make ends meet and to serve our God and our families, and in some ways, our extended families and their needs.

Work is really important, but it shouldn't be at the expense of God and family - we are told to love our families as Christ loved His church  (Ephesians 5:25) - our families are precious gifts from God, and they should come before work at all times - God and family definitely come before anything else.

Christianity encourages diligence and hard work, BUT it also warns us about overworking and neglecting family, and our Christian walk with the Lord. Work can become our main aim and can lead to all sorts of unhealthy focus.

When we look at the Ten Commandments way back in Exodus in the Bible, the very first one says: "I  am the LORD your God, you shall not have any gods before me". 

It also says in Matthew 22:37 to  "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." This commandment is THE very first and THE most important one - it's the very foundation of a relationship with God Himself and with us mere mortals - quite amazing really!

Putting God first means we keep THE GREATEST commandment - in blunt words, we MUST be totally committed to a relationship with God. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING we have (our home, our kids, our money, our job, everything) is and should be devoted to God - we can hold nothing back.

Putting God first means we don't stage or erect (even in our minds) idols of any sort or form - when you think about it, an idol is anything that replaces God in our lives. We must strive to follow Jesus in anything we do or say.

Now, on saying that, I personally sin all the time in this way - sometimes it is so easy to stick yourself first, no matter what - even when driving, there is something inside of you that doesn't want to be taken advantage of by other drivers. Does it really matter that some person speeds up behind you and forces their way ahead? Not really, BUT I know it can be hard. That's a good reason to pray as you drive.

So, where are we going with this? Putting God first in our lives means we totally try and strive to follow Jesus. Jesus Himself (while He was here on earth)  totally submitted to God's will - we certainly saw that through His crucifixion. It was while He was facing that cruel and ghastly cross that He prayed, "Not my will but yours be done."

Jesus accomplished everything God the Father willed Him to do!

When you think about it, every one of us has priorities, we arrange our relationships, budgets, and our daily schedules - His will in our lives really does have to come first. Jesus was amazing while he was here on earth - SO....we should strive to be like Him - now I know that is pretty impossible, but the very fact that we STRIVE to do it means he has taken number one spot in our lives - How about you?

In Matthew 6:33, the Bible tells us that we should (and I quote from the NKJV Bible) "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you", meaning that we should seek out God first rather than the things of our world. 

You know, once we are saved through our faith in God, it means more to us than all the cars, the promotions at work, the mansions on the hill, travel, fitness, wellness, boats, and so it goes on.  

Putting God first does set you apart from your neighbours, friends, and basically from the rest of the world as we know it, especially these days of turmoil, hurt, disease, and war. Following God means we trust God over and above all else. How about you?

You know you can pray a prayer of commitment to God, which is a personal prayer of dedication and surrender to God's will for you.

To come to Jesus, you can pray a very simple prayer like this:- Lord Jesus, I first ask for forgiveness for all these things I have done wrong in my life - please help and guide me as I commit my entire life to you, Amen.

God loves us all so much, including you, no matter what you have done.

God bless you this week.

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I really need to be first!!

In the armed forces, the men and women involved are pretty amazing - they give it their all - they really do stick together, and many times ...