Put First Things First

Put First Things First

· 1 Samuel 30:6-8

· Matthew 22:34-40

To Be First is to have the Greatest Significance in Life.

Dame Lois Marie Browne-Evans was so greatly admired because of her numerous “firsts” that there is a building named after her with a statue bearing her likeness in the lobby.

· In 1953 she became Bermuda's first female barrister.

· She was the first black woman to be elected to the House of Assembly of Bermuda

· She became the leader of the PLP, gaining worldwide recognition as the first female Leader of the Opposition in the British Commonwealth.

· In 1972 she stepped down as leader but took on the role of Honorary Consul for Jamaica in Bermuda, the first Bermudian to serve in that capacity.

· In 1998, the PLP achieved its first electoral victory. Browne-Evans was appointed Minister of Legislative Affairs and became the country's first female Attorney-General in 1999.

· She was the first female member of the Devonshire Recreation Club and a founding partner of Browne & Wade Chambers in Hamilton.

Condoleezza Rice could have had Dame Browne-Evans in mind when she said:

“People who end up as ‘first’ don’t actually set out to be first.

They set out to do something they love.” - Condoleezza Rice

The Dictionary Defines “First” as:

1. First—coming before all others in time or order; earliest

2. First—Foremost in position, rank, or importance.

The Significance of the First

· First holds greater value

· First has a higher position and status

· First is unsurpassable—there is nothing and no one ahead of First.

· First is the goal

· First is the mark by which everything else is measured

· First Place must be maintained

The Greatest First However is that of Almighty God

o “In the Beginning God…”

o First in Creation—The Unmoved Mover (Aristotle)

o First in Wisdom, Power, Majesty, and Splendor

God Calls for First Things to Be First

o “I am the LORD your God…you shall have no other gods before Me”

· First Love— The Great and First Commandment

"And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.

And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:37-40

· First Duty of Sons and Daughters of God

o God Demands that we seek First His Kingdom

Seek First the Kingdom of God.

§ This is a Priority Calling / Responsibility

· Contrast to the request of the wanna-be disciple:

o Then Jesus said to someone else, “Follow me.” He replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Luke 9:59

o Demands the First Fruits of our Lives

"Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce;

then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine."

Proverbs 3:9-10

PACK RUNNING FOR FIRST

Examination of marathon statistics revealsthat running with a pack is better than running with no pack at all, as long as it’s the right pack.

“It’s not just how fast you start, it’s who you run with.”

Athletes are advised to identify other runners who have similar abilities and ambitions and run with them.

Why is this a good strategy?

The Right Pack

o Puts God First / Loves God above all / Seeks God’s Kingdom

In 1 Corinthians 9:26, Paul wrote that with an eye on winning the first-place crown,

I do not run like someone running aimlessly

“It’s not just how fast you start, it’s who you run with.”

Some pack runners just want to cross the finish line.

Other pack runners want to jump out ahead of everyone early.

Some runners go it alone.

David had to step out of the pack that he was in and put God above all else.

You may need to step aside if your pack becomes cannibalistic during the worse of times.

David’s pack turned on him…

David decided to put first things first in the worst of times.

David didn’t need a new pack.

David needed to give the pack a reset—to Put God ahead of himself and the pack, to put God First.

David needed to Make the Main Thing the Main Thing.

David’s call for the Ephod = Recognition of first importance to the things of God

o The Ephod contained the Urim and the Thummim — gemstones that were carried by the high priest of Israel on the ephod / The Breastplate on hispriestly garments. They were used by the high priest to determine God’s will in some situations.

o In Times of Testing, Putting on the Breastplate of Righteousness—Right Thoughts, Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Relationship. The Breastplate of Righteousness needs both the Urim and the Thummim.

o The Urim ("lights") = Wisdom

o TheThummim ("perfections") = Favor

o (Prayer Needs Light and Heat)

Then God put David back in the lead.

Put God First and Lead Your Family Pack

Put God First and Direct Your Children and Your Grandchildren

Put God First and Influence Your Workspace

Put God First and Build Up the Church

Put God First and Lead in Ministry

Put God First and Lead in Evangelism

Put God First and Face the Difficult Decisions

Put God First and Recover All that the Enemy has Taken