PUT GOD FIRST

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.”

“What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written:

“So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”

Romans 3:1-4

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

God is perfect in every way.

We on the other hand…not so much.

Given this, why in the world would we ever place our trust in ourselves or other mere human beings more than we trust in God?

It’s completely baffling that we even consider this let alone do it but we do.

All.the.time.

Have you ever wondered how God feels when we do this, when we behave as if we can operate on our own without Him?

I mean, could anything be more disrespectful than this?

Friends, we need to put God first. We need to always let Him take the wheel and drive us through life, content with being the passenger. When you ride with someone, you are placing all your trust in the one is in the driver’s seat. Your safety and well being are in their hands. I don’t know about you but when I am traveling through life, there’s no other person I want driving than the Lord. It’s the only way I know the right course will be steered so that I can reach the right destination.

As we turn to the third chapter of Romans, we find Paul concerned about the direction the people of Rome were going. Look again at his words here:

“What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.”

“What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written:

“So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”  Romans 3:1-4

In Romans 2, we found Paul talking about the matter of circumcision and how it wouldn’t necessarily tell the whole picture about a Jewish man’s spiritual status. In other words, a Jew might be circumcised, externally showing they have opted to be obedient to the Law’s call to do so and honor the covenant between God and His people, but live in ways that are sinful and contrary to God’s commands and expectations. In the end translation, it wasn’t the external appearance that mattered as much as the internal spiritual state of one’s heart and mind.

With this, maybe a Jewish man might wonder if circumcision was even really needed. In other words, was circumcision really necessary if it’s really the internal spiritual state that counted the most?

Paul quickly addresses that potential question by saying that there was still absolute value found in being circumcised if you were a Jew and remaining obedient to the Law.

Why?

Because no other subset of mankind had been given that privilege, the privilege to be God’s holy people except the people of Israel. They had been chosen by God and entrusted with His very words. In other words, the Holy Scriptures were authorized to be the keepers and teachers of the Word of God. It was a tremendous honor bestowed on the Israelites by God and therefore circumcision was not just a sign but a reminder of the great privilege God had granted.

Indeed, God had a special relationship with His chosen people but He still was over them. No one, Israelite or otherwise, could ever nullify any part of God’s perfect nature because they failed and sinned.

If a Jew or anyone else was unfaithful, it only made that person unfaithful. God would remain perfect in faithfulness just as He is perfect in every other way. He was perfectly true in all that He did and so no trust should be placed anywhere else instead in Him.

No one should place faith anywhere else except with the Lord.

No one should place their trust in anyone else except the Lord.

No one should place their hope anywhere else except in the Lord.

And certainly, no one should seek truth in any other place except through the Lord.

The old saying goes like this:

“Put God first so you can finish in first place.”

All we need to do is put this wisdom into practice.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com