Who will be first?

The world we live in teaches us that if we have to be successful, we have to take care of our needs first, no matter what the cost. Other’s needs are not important for us. Does man get happiness when he or she considers their needs first? As a matter of fact, research tells us the opposite. According to Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one thing surpasses all the rest in terms of importance: "The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period."

Good relationships cannot happen, when we are too focused on self, it happens when we begin to consider others first, give them time and be there for them, so that we can develop a good lifelong relationship. There is a Chinese saying that goes: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.” For centuries, the greatest thinkers have suggested the same thing: Happiness is found in helping others.

However, there is something much greater than helping others. It is considering God first. One can ask: Why should we put God first? The Bible has a unique way to answer this question. When Jesus was asked the question what is the greatest commandment, he said in, “Mark 12:30-31  (NIV) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

In other words, Jesus is saying that we need to consider God first and then we consider others and that is true secret of true and complete happiness in life. Jesus also says in John 14:15 (NASB) “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” So the way to love God is to obey His commands.

Why would loving God first and doing his command be good for mankind? Doesn’t man know what to do? Doesn’t man have the knowledge and wisdom to do the right thing?

When examining some of God’s commandments, we can see that, He tells us not to commit adultery. Examining it a bit deeper, we can see that if one was to violate this command, it will not only destroy the marriage relationship, but it will emotionally scar the children for life. The two families where the couple came from will be scarred and relationships among all these people will become very complex. So in other words God is saying, if one was to commit adultery, it will bring heartache, life will become challenging than what it is today. So staying away from adultery would be key for our happiness, rather he is asking us to work out the differences with your spouses and re-establish our family’s harmony.

God’s word has many commandments, like not to covet, not to kill, husbands love your wife, wives respect your husband, love your neighbor as yourself, do good to others as you want them to do to you, be humble, do not be wicked, children obey your parents, parents do not embitter your children etc.. In all His commandments, if we start examining each one of them individually we will begin to see that God’s focus was not to put a bondage for mankind with a set of rules and regulations, but to help man understand his own limitations of a broken self within limited wisdom. Man does not fully comprehend the implications of all his ways and his choices. So if he desires a good and happy life, God is asking man to obey his commandments.

It is evident that God is all knowing. He knows what is good for man in all his ways. Jesus tells us in Mark 10:18 (NIV) that there "No one is good--except God alone.” God understands that man is really incapable to reflect the goodness of God in all of man’s wisdom and knowledge. Isaiah 64:6 (NIV) …..all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;  Also, Paul an extremely learned man of Jewish history and law tells the church in 1 Corinthians 3:19 (NIV) For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. 1 Corinthians 1:25 (NIV) For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom.  

Man may think he is wise in his ways, but this false assumption will shatter when we simply look at the DNA of man. The DNA carries information that could not have occurred by natural forces but came from an intelligent being like God. Even after 1000’s of years of existence, man is just getting around to understand a fragment of knowledge about DNA. This is confirmed by Philip Ball, Nature magazine on April 28, 2013, “We do not know what most of our DNA does, nor how, or to what extent it governs traits. In other words, we do not fully understand how evolution works at the molecular level.”

No matter how much man may progress in his scientific pursuits, his wisdom and knowledge will be far from that of God. This is a known fact. So if God is wise, isn’t it wise for man to listen to him? Interestingly one begins to follow what God says when one realizes that it is really benefiting him or her, rather than relying on their own limited wisdom.

So keeping God first in every decision and action of our life is simply an act of wisdom. When we focus on helping others next, it will bring peace & happiness. Finally, when we look at our own personal needs as last, it will bring ultimate joy in our life In other words, we should all keep Jesus first, Others second and Yourself last, to have eternal JOY.