First…Not Second!
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
If I was to ask who won the 1973 Kentucky Derby, unless you are a big horse racing fan, you most likely do not know. If I told you that 1973 was the year that the Great Secretariat won, most people would say something like…Oh yeah that’s right! If I asked who came in 2nd place to Secretariat, most people’s eyes would glaze over in a look of contemptible apathy.
The truth is, the runner-up horse (named Sham), in all three races, might have been known as one of the greatest horses of all time, if he were born in another year. While Secretariat holds the speed records for the Fastest times in all three of the triple crown races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, & Belmont), had Secretariat not been there, Sham would have broken all of those same records. He was a great horse. But no one knows him…because he was 2nd in the 3 most important races of his lifetime.
Second place…Just isn’t First! I love these quotes about 2nd place:
“No one remembers who came in second.”
- Walter Hagen
“Coming in second place just means you were the first person to lose.”
- Jeff Hawkins
“There is no such thing as second place. Either you're first or you're nothing.”
- Gabe Paul
In our continuation of the examination of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reveals a truth that we must hear, understand, and heed! Jesus is not interested in Second place. Notice his statement very closely: Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God! Jesus demands that we make him our #1 Priority. He doesn’t want Second place to our family. He doesn’t want Second place to our Job. He doesn’t want Second place to our friends. He Doesn’t want second place to our hobbies. He will NOT ACCEPT SECOND PLACE!
Do we need to stress that if Second place is intolerable, then being lower than second place is actually a rejection of Jesus? There are too many people that claim to be Christians that believe they can put God on a shelf , and bring him out when nothing else is working for thim. They see him as a ‘lucky rabbit’s foot’ or a ‘Genie in a bottle’. They desert him until they need him…then they rub their “God bottle” feverishly to ask for another wish. That is not a relationship! And that is far from making him the #1 priority in our lives! He doesn’t want to be a second thought. He doesn’t want to be an afterthought. He doesn’t want to accept our leftovers. He will except nothing less than being #1 in our hearts and lives.
To further understand what Jesus wants from us, notice what else we are to seek. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his Righteousness”. This moves it from being only a heart and mind issue to being an ACTION issue. We have had past RTS posts about righteousness, so there is no need to rehash those. However, by it’s nature, seeking, and subsequently finding the righteousness of God, demands that it effect our lifestyles, behaviors, actions, reactions, judgments and every other aspect of our lives!
After emphasizing the importance of making him first in our lives, he promises blessings to those that fulfill this request: “And all these things shall be added unto you!” In previous verses starting in verse 25, Jesus discuss how God takes care of his creation. He takes care of birds, and grass and the flowers. Then in verse 30, he asks the rhetorical question: If God takes care of all of those other things, how much more will he take care of you? It is in this context that he promises that if we put him first, he will take care of us in a similar, loving manner.
Seek Ye FIRST…Not Second, Not third, not only when you need Him. Jesus does not want to be forgotten in your life like Sham was. Make him THE priority in your Life and you will be blessed beyond measure!
Reflecting the SON,
Dennis Hogan
Questions, comments or further explanation? Contact me at: dennis.hogan@icloud.com
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