Putting God First (Matthew 22:36-40) (1 Samuel 17:38-39) (Psalm 37:24)

 

36. "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?"  37. Jesus replied, " 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment. 39. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40. All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:36-40)

Yes, although as believers we are no longer under the law, yet we obey the commandments based on the two first ones.  We obey them through obeying the Holy Spirit within us.

It's like a bottle full to the rim.  The air can't come in and the same is when your life is full of God's Spirit.  Your life will be so full of him that nothing else can enter in.  This is what putting God first mean.  Temptations can't come in.  Neither does sin.  The bottle is full and won't be broken.   God wants to use a full bottle, but also one that He can  easily pour out to a dying world.  His first commandment which is loving him with all of our heart applies here.  When we let ourselves go, temptations find a crack in our armor.  The Holy Spirit is our Teacher, but also our coach making sure we go by the rules of the game.  He disciplines us in a gentle way, so gentle we have to train our spiritual ear to respond.  Just keep your spirit full of Him and he will be there in all the dealings of your life.

Moreover, you were born again full of Him.  Indeed, you are satisfied and at rest in his holiness when you stay full.  You are also abiding in Him and all the good things He has in store for you.  You are truly blessed!

Obviously, this doesn't happen overnight and doesn't mean every once in a while we will not miss the mark or that we have arrived to some higher degree of holiness.  It just mean that we need Him more and our every effort depends on Him.  We are more like babes depending on their mothers' milk and can't survive without it.  More like the deer longing for the freshness and coolness of the river in the morning.  We find ourselves needing his Word even more and can't live without it for we want to minimize our downfalls and we are tired of the tricks of the enemy.

In short, now we finally mean business with God and are ready for the revival, not doing the expectations of man, but of God.  Not wearing the armor of flesh (King Saul giving his armor to David) but the armor of the Spirit to fight the giants (1 Samuel 17:38-39)

Though they (godly) stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. (Psalm 37:24)