First

To be first seems important in society in this present world. Who was the first man in space to land on the moon? Who was the first to the South Pole... to climb Everest... the first President of America? Lives have been lost in trying to be first. Captain Scott and his team died in Antarctica, Mallory died on Everest. Women are also caught in this, the 2007 United States election was a case in point. Would they have the first woman president... or the first black president?

First can mean preeminent. First class travel, first class post, and a sense of superiority! Or the winner is first. In general elections, the system of first past the post. Or the winner of the Olympics must be the best.

We may not like some of the implications of such things, which may be viewed as arrogance or selfishness, or conceit.

The Bible states that God was first, 'in the beginning God'. What happened we do not know, there is an implication that there was no beginning but a past continuing back and back without any definite beginning except that at some point the heavens and 'our' earth was created. Isaiah 41.4 says 'I the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he'. Isaiah 44.6, 'I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God'. The NT goes on in a similar vein when we take Revelation 1.8, 'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the LORD, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.' The phrase 'Alpha and Omega' is used again in Revelation 21.6 and 22.13. We think of God existing on his own all the time, with Christ, the Logos (Word) eventually, and the angels. Maybe desiring some type of communion.

Intelligent beings have a need to communicate, and God did create man in his own image. First there was God and then man. 1 John 4.19 says that God loved us first, before we could love him. 'God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.' (v.16) God's love can easily be seen in sending his Son to die for the sins of the world. 'Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He (that is, Christ) laid down his life for us.' God recognised this cost at the beginning, as it says 'The Lamb slain before the foundation of the world'.

Hebrews 12.23 speaks of the 'church of the firstborn'. A firstborn child is a special child whose position in the family cannot be changed. The elder child is always an elder child and cannot be supplanted by the birth of subsequent children. We have been called to be a class of 'firstborn' people, so let us now look towards our response to this love and his instructions as to the first steps.

First, a willing mind. To start out on our Christian journey it must be our choice, not a forcible removal from where we start. Abraham was willing to leave Haran, having been born in the old Sumerian city of Ur of the Chaldees. Genesis 12.1,2 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee; and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.' He was not frightened into going, but seems to have been happy to go, without knowing exactly where to.

I have thought for some time how important it is to make that first step. Having set out on the journey, what are we told to do first? Mark 12.30 Jesus said that the first commandment was to 'love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength; this is the first commandment.' This is not dissimilar to the first of the Ten Commandments in Exodus. These instructions seem to be our response to God's love and favour. 1 John 2.5 'Whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in him.' This indicates not merely keeping the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law, which ought to be qualified by saying that there has only ever been one man who has been able to keep the law perfectly.

We are also told in Matthew 6.33 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all his righteousness...' It should be the priority of one's life. We use the conscience God gave us to analyse our actions in the big and little things of life. We all have to prioritize, whether at work or at home. This can be a struggle or maybe a balancing act. For example, here at present it's a lovely sunny spring day, I like being outside, but I have a talk to write. The scripture says we have to work while it is day because the night comes when no man can work. The kingdom will come eventually and we see its embryo form now, and this engenders in us some sense of urgency.

We need to think of his righteousness. Philippians 4.8 tells us to think of whatsoever things are true... just... pure... honest... lovely... of good report.. Appreciating God's virtues and attributes merges with trying to copy such virtues. Many good examples in the scriptures put us on the path we should be on, and keep us there - not out of selfish self-interest like pursuing a sales target and bonus, but by a culture and emotion drawing us on to some better plane. But even that phrase seems very worldly, and only imperfectly puts into words what having a relationship with God and his Son can be like.

We would not be able to set out on our Christian journey if it was not for our Lord Jesus. He is the 'Lamb slain before the foundation of the world'. Luke 17.25 says, 'first must he suffer many things and be rejected'. We know he had to come into the world and live a life of sacrifice and suffer. We know from 1 Corinthians 15 that he had to die for our sins as it had been prophesied. We know he was buried in a tomb, and that he rose from the dead. 'Christ is now risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept.' His rising from the dead is a guarantee that we in our turn will be raised. First fruit has special connotations to those of us who grow fruit and flowers, I usually gauge spring from the first daffodil. And of course when you get the first fruits the expectation is many more will follow.

Revelation 14.4 says when talking about the 144,000 that they... 'follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.' So they are special and have a particular place in the new arrangement. But there are warnings.

Revelation 2.4 We must not lose our first love. In our earthly lives a first love is special and never forgotten and precious, the first time our heart was opened and met by such another heart. What is more likely to be remembered when it happened, where was I, what year, what month. What is less likely is that that first love remains. A little pamphlet came to me and asked the question, 'Have you taken your eyes off Jesus?' As children our parents told us to keep our eyes on the ball, so that we did not drop it. It is possible to lose our first love, but the one who loves us is always faithful and will never let us down. We have to do our bit to keep that relationship going, even if we are the weaker half, throughout our Christian lives. "He which hath begun a good work will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1.6)

There are other warnings. If offering a gift to God, first be reconciled to your brother (Matthew 5.24). This seems to show us the way to approach each day, to ask forgiveness of our sins. John 8.7 - he who is without sin can cast the first stone. It is not our position yet to judge others, but first we must work on ourselves. Matthew 7.5 First cast the beam out of thine own eye, before criticizing the mote in your brother's eye. Set your own house in order first.

But let us not finish on the warnings, but consider the wonderful aspects. We have been wonderfully blessed, wonderfully informed, are being wonderfully prepared with a wonderful prospect.

We started with God and his objective to fill the earth with beings having intellect and emotion. Who sent his Son to be a first fruit. And other first fruits who would learn his commandments and endeavour to live their lives in harmony with God and in relationship with him. If we continue in that relationship, watching out for the pitfalls outlined in the scriptures, we can take our place at last as first fruits, knowing that there are other fruits for which God has also provided.

1 Corinthians 2.9 Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

NAC