First Never Follows

First Never Follows

11/2/16

If asked everyone will admit that their wish to be number one in their field of choice or in life would be their goal.  The effort exhausted in trying to achieve this goal is basically unimaginable since the true desire itself cannot be compared to the sound committed.  But one must ask what does it take after this goal is achieved?  The answer is quite clear and it is only for a short amount of time that a human can sustain this level before they begin their descent.  Could this be the reason we look towards a failed ruler as our inspiration instead of our Creator who has always been first in everything and shall never relinquish this status either?  Maybe it is time we once again do what is right and seek the higher truth in all matters, for it is through this truth that freedom rings.

Soccer is very near and dear to my heart and every chance I get I glue my eyes to a screen to watch a match.  With modern technology as it is today, I have the opportunity to watch matches from all over the world as they occur.  Also, if I do not have the opportunity to watch them live I can record them and watch them later at my convenience; whatever the case may be I have many opportunities to watch my beloved sport.  As I was watching a match a couple weeks ago the advertisement screens on the pitch grabbed my attention as the words “First Never Fails” quickly scrolled across its banner.  The phrase immediately caught my attention because I was watching two teams that continually believe that they should win the entire championship each year, but ironically have not for quite some time now.

As the match progressed, then when the final whistle blew I never saw that advertisement again.  I found this quite unusual since those digital signs are programmed in for each match and I usually am tired of seeing them scroll by when the match is over. The phrase was stuck in my head and even though my physical eyes did not see the ad more than one time it was continually scrolling in my head.  I knew then that God had something up His sleeve with this phrase.  As I continued to ponder this statement it came clear to me that what was being said was a true statement and that when something or someone is considered number 1 or first in their field, everyone else is behind them or “lower” than them.  Even with earning a tie or having an equal in the objective can still strike a blow to the human ego.

As much as we want to believe that our ideas will be considered and revered as the cutting edge in our field we must understand that this shall not always be the case.  With this realization firmly put into place our next motive is to try and figure out just how long we can maintain this #1 status.  When I was in high school, the Washington Redskins was a powerful team who always posed as a tough opponent to any other NFL program.  At the time their offensive line had the heaviest average weight of any other NFL team and this line was subsequently dubbed as the “hogs”.  This nickname was not given to them as an insult or hate message but one that made a statement of their size and dominance in which they portrayed each week as win after win accrued. 

Even though this nickname stuck with these men for quite a while and their status carried them to a Super Bowl win their average weight did not.  It was not too much longer that the “huge” average weight of this offensive line became small and was soon replaced by others who weighed much more than what the hogs did.  In present day, some of the defensive backs and linebackers weigh just as much as what the offensive line of the Washington Redskins did back in the 1980s.  It was clear that their purpose for being first or having the number one status could not last and eventually faded away and a new goal had to be sought after.  When we look at this pattern it follows the same path as every other portion of our lives including our personal and physical aspects too. There is no way possible that we can achieve the ultimate status and continue holding that status until our life is over, it is impossible yet we try to obtain this falsity every day, even when our profit margin and gain seems to be at its peak.

I wish that I could say that this power grab to be number one or first has stuck to just the physical world and has left the Church out of this equation.  I must admit that if I contended this statement to be true then I would be lying for it is evident that the Church and her divisive ways have stepped into the limelight with this exact identical process.  There is no mention of Baptists in the Bible.  There are no Assembly of God churches, nor are there and Catholic Cathedrals, but there is only 1 Church that Jesus established in His name and on His foundation.  Yet, we as a body have purposefully – not our divine purpose – segregated ourselves into theological organizations demanding that we still are recognized as the one true Church.  When we proclaim this status God weeps and Satan laughs!

Our own national history gives us a prime example of this soon after God allowed this nation to be founded for His purpose.  As we have been taught, almost immediately after this land was dedicated to God for His authoritative privy we began to take it out of His hands.  The spiritual goals of the Puritans in the 17^th Century were one that placed God first in everything and they depended on God for their survival.  But just as Adam and Eve lost their focus on God and His Ways, so did the Puritans.  It was not long after they had established their presence that their drive for number one consecrated their deviances so readily that they began to interpret the Gospel as one that should be punitive and heavy-handed without understanding the entire Word which ultimately led them to commit murder through their own trumped up lies against their own people.  Does this setting sound familiar to anyone?

It is this concept of being first that leads to our failure for we must NEVER forget that we are a limited creation now, ones with finite minds and hindered by death.  This also means that we need to concede that we have rivals, equals and those who will come after us with better thoughts and ideas.  On the spiritual side of this article, the origins of this being first positioning came from Lucifer when he wished to be as God or to achieve an even higher position than God.  After his fall, blowout loss to God and a name change, Satan then directed his attention on the created beings God deemed as His prized possessions.  While Scripture does not exactly state that Adam and Eve portrayed this “being first” mentality, it is clear that they did because it was through their own wants that provided for their fall.  When God created Adam and Eve they were perfect in every way imaginable yet God gave them the gift of choice to which they used it to their benefit, or so they thought.

The common feature here is that every example used here so far has exercised their gift of choice for their own good, and humanity has continued to follow these failed attempts to achieve and then remain as first in all areas.  Our actions prove the old adage that if we do not learn from history we are doomed to repeat it for we have not strayed from this irrational decision to change the world instead of allowing God to change us.  I cannot condemn the ones who ignore the one true being that is perfect in all things because I tried to ignore Him for many years of my life as well.  It was easy to allow myself to become blinded by the world and so difficult for me to let go and allow God be God in my life.  The world and its leader have such an advantage that we have given him and as long as we allow ourselves to live under his control there is no way that we shall ever see and feel the freedom through God.

I have some excellent news that directly concerns our struggle for perfection!!  First of all, we must recognize and admit that no matter how much we excel in life we shall never be #1, for there will always be someone over us and for us to be accountable. The world shall lie to you and say that what was just said is not true, what the world tells you and demands from you is nothing but a lie!  The good news in this equation is that there is only one Being that can hold the title of being first, above everything else, #1 and that is God.  God also happens to be the One being that Created you and established your presence even before you were conceived.  

God has always and continuously stayed His course of truth and justice, even when He was tested by another created eternal being.  This means that God through His definition, which is stated in Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1, alone has kept Himself separate even from His enemy.  There is no way our finite minds can comprehend eternity but even before eternity was created God was already present.  And since this statement is a fact, we can also say that up until this very second God has not been defeated in ANY category.  What is so mind boggling for me is that the instant we think that we can argue against God and win He has already won and our inkling is defeated.  God is the only one that can honestly say that He is first and that being first He follows no one.

What adds to this overwhelming status is that God in His undefeated position has provided a way in which we can be elevated into the perfect condition as Him.  This is so awesome fellow finites because it is a simple choice that changes our entire aspects in life and once we allow God to enter into our lives He shall start a restoration process that is unique to your existence. God created us so He is the only one that can claim to know how to restore us in the manner in which we need.  If it is the best that we are striving towards then placing ourselves under God’s Ways and Covenant is the only way to achieve such a place.  In this physical life there is no way possible that we can sustain such a high authority or position but through the blood of God’s Son, it covers us so that we are made to be perfect in the eyes and heart of God without any worldly possessions to compete against.

God is not an angry Creator who sits on His throne waiting to bop you over the head when we do wrong.  All God wants is for us to recognize our mistakes and our sin and then give these issues to Him.  He wants us under His Son’s blood so that the eternal Covenant He has with mankind can be fully implemented over our lives.  God knows and understands that we can never be perfect as our eyes see it but we can be perfect in the only One who is perfect and undefeated if we only return to Him. Church it is time for us to completely separate ourselves from the world and function as One Church through Christ to save the world.  God is calling for us to change our hearts and to reopen them to His mission.  God loves us, time is short, heed His call. For if we do, then we will be on the winning side along with God and be crowned champions of life but if we do not we shall fully understand the concept of losing to a perfect being who is First and Never Follows.

DLB