Success and Failure Blog

Key #9 to Happiness – Putting God First

We all have priorities in life.  When it comes to happiness people all have different goals, needs, hopes and desires.  What makes one person happy may not even come close to satisfying another.  Whatever is most important to us will always come first in our lives.  That which we love the most will always be our highest priority.  The things and people that bring us joy and happiness will always get the most of our time and attention.   So, the question is this, what matters most to you?  What is the first priority of your life? Is it your family, children, career, money, material things?  Is it achieving fame or status?  Maybe your appearance is most important to you?   First identify what you are actually putting first in your life.  Discover why it so important to put God first and what happens when other things and people come before God.  Lastly learn specific ways to put God first and help you begin to put God first in your life right away.

Lamentations 3:40 (New International Version)

Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.

Psalm 26:2 (New International Version)

Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;

Identifying what you really put first in your life:

Learning what your true priorities are in life is really pretty simple to do.  Start by asking yourself this, “what do I spend my time, energy and effort on most?”  If you have to, grab a piece of paper and pen and roughly write out a list of what you generally do each day, from start to finish, first thing in the morning to bedtime.   Can you recognize any patterns or things of special interest? Whatever you devote most of your time, money, energy, and efforts to is what you are putting first in your life.  God knows the truth and He knows your heart.  He knows what means the most to you and where you’re true devotion lies.

Deuteronomy 6:5 (New International Version)

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Jeremiah 17:10 (New International Version)

“I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”

Do not worry God is so full of love.  God is faithful to forgive us.

1 John 1:9 (New International Version)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Putting God first is important for obtaining happiness:

Putting God first is extremely important for many reasons, but one of those reasons is that it does produce happiness in our lives.  The reason we should put God first is because of our love for Him.  We should find happiness and joy in putting God first.  Happiness is not the reason or the motive it is the reward, it is the harvest, and it is the blessing.  How exciting and wonderful this is.  Our reward for making God our first priority is happiness and joy and blessings.

Psalm 37:4 (New International Version)

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

If you delight in the Lord he will give you the desires of your heart.  There is true happiness in delighting in the Lord.

Psalm 35:9 (New International Version)

Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation

Psalm 65:4

Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You choose and cause to come near, that he may dwell in Your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.

Psalm 112:1 (Amplified Bible)

PRAISE THE Lord! (Hallelujah!) Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who fears (reveres and worships) the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.

Matthew 6:32-34 (Amplified Bible)

For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all.  But seek ([a]aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness ([b]His way of doing and being right), and then all these things [c]taken together will be given you besides. So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.

Putting God first is more than a goal to keep in mind.  Putting God first is the main ingredient to happiness. Without God being first in your life the recipe for happiness will not ever come out right. No matter how hard you try, you can not make yourself happy and other people (all in themselves) can not make you happy either. It also makes sense that no inanimate thing can bring happiness either. Only God can give us an abundant and fruitful life.

The outcome of failing to put God first in our lives:

When we fail to put God first we fail miserably.  We do not reach happiness.  We then turn to other things and try to replace the missing ingredient in our lives.  We turn to habits, addictions, we try to fill our time and entertain our minds and we seek alternate means of pleasure.  We discover that nothing else could ever be enough.  It is like trying to bake a cake without flour.  It is like a turkey sandwich without turkey.  It could never satisfy because it is missing the main ingredient!

God wants for us to seek Him first and to delight in Him.  He wants to be the one to give us happiness, joy and abounding blessings!  When we try to please ourselves or seek out happiness on our own apart from God, not only do fail to find it, we also slip farther and farther away from Him and our only real hope of happiness. We end up angry, sad, depressed and feeling unloved and unaccepted.

Cain is not a favorite of most people.  He is known and remembered for killing his brother Abel out of cold blood.  We can actually learn a lot from the story.  Take a moment and read it.

Genesis 4

AND ADAM knew Eve as his wife, and she became pregnant and bore Cain; and she said, I have gotten and gained a man with the help of the Lord.  And [next] she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  And in the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground.  And Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock and of the fat portions. And the Lord had respect and regard for Abel and for his offering, But for Cain and his offering He had no respect or regard. So Cain was exceedingly angry and indignant, and he looked sad and depressed.  And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why do you look sad and depressed and dejected?  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.

Cain felt dejected, and when God did not respect or accept his offering it made him exceedingly angry and indignant, and he looked sad and depressed.  This is the same outcome for us when we fail to put God first.  We end up allowing sin to master us and we achieve the exact opposite of happiness.

Specific ways to put God first in your life:

In looking at the story of Cain again we read that God saw how Cain was behaving, and He noticed how Cain was feeling.  He came to Him in love much the way any loving parent would go to their child.  He asked Cain why he was feeling that way, even though He all ready knew the answer. He questioned Cain saying, “If you do well, will you not be accepted?”  He also explained that if he didn’t do well he was only opening himself up to trouble.  Sin is there waiting at our door, it desires us but we must master it through Christ Jesus.

Here are some specific things we can do to put God first, but be creative, and find new ways to show God you love Him and you are so happy and full of joy because of Him.  The basic idea is to put Gods will above your own.  If you really want to you can think of endless ways to demonstrate how much God really means to you.

Keys to happiness exercise:

1. Read the Word of God and desire to do well and follow God’s commands.  Find happiness and joy and take delight in God.
2. Begin each day in devotion to God.  In prayer, study, and praise.  Offer God your first time.  It is a very special time of day to seek God and pray.  We are rested and alert and blessed to have a new day.
3. Offer thanks to God for your food and drink and give God of your first fruits.  Be sure to give to God and toward the Kingdom of God. Give as Abel gave.  Give God of your first and best.  Give with a glad heart and offer up your praises to God too.
4. Trust God to provide your heart’s desires and all of your needs.  God promises that if we seek the kingdom of God first that God will make sure to provide all we need.
5. Seek God first in all aspects of your life.  Seek God first in regard to relationships, finances, dreams, hopes and desires, in your career and in every part of your life.
6. Attend Church (if you don’t all ready)
7. Begin a spiritual journal devoted to bible study and prayer.

In conclusion, God loves you and wants you to be happy.  God wants to provide you with all you need and even your heart’s desire.  God has proved His great love to us by giving His only Begotten Son so that our sins might be forgiven and so that we can have life everlasting in Christ Jesus.  He gave His ALL for all of us.  Jesus gave His all.  He willingly and lovingly gave His life on the cross as a perfect, sinless sacrifice for our sins.  There is no greater love than the love of God.  His love, His salvation, His happiness and joy are all gifts from God to you.  All you have to do is believe it, accept it, confess it and live it.   Begin to put God first right now and begin to live life more abundantly!

John 3:16 (New International Version)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 6:47 (New International Version)

I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.

John 10:10 (New International Version)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Previous Happiness Lessons:

How to find Happiness – 15 Lesson Series – Overview

How to find Happiness – Introduction

How to find Happiness – Key #1 – A relationship with God

How to find Happiness – Key #2 – Being Thankful

How to find Happiness – 15 Lesson Series – Overview

How to find Happiness - Key #4 – Learning How to forgive others

How to find Happiness - Key #5 – Living in the present

How to find Happiness - Key #6 – Overcoming fear

How to find Happiness - Key #7 – Giving of your money

How to find Happiness - Key #8 – Giving of your time

May you find happiness through giving of yourself!  Check in next week for another key to happiness.  Get notified via e-mail

1. Serve the Lord Christ

To serve the Lord Christ one is required to do whatever he/she does heartily as to the Lord and not to men. Whatever is done in word or deed should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to the Father through him.

Our sojourn here in the physical flesh is to help us become faithful and trustworthy stewards, learning how to rule and manage whatever God has placed under our care. Therefore we have been admonished saying; “Make use of worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into everlasting dwellings.

Life is typical of the parable that Jesus Christ gave concerning the noble man who went to a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return, so he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas and asked them to do business until he comes.

When he returned having received the kingdom he commanded the servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. The first came saying, “Lord, your mina has made ten more.” And he said to him, ‘well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

The second came saying, “Lord your mina has made five minas.’ And he said to him, “you take charge of five cities.’ But the one who did not invest his mina was severely reprimanded, and his mina was taken away from him and given to the one whose mina had gained ten minas, because to every one who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

The irony is, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if one has not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth: who will trust them with true riches? And if one has not been trustworthy with someone else’s property who will give them property of their own?

One therefore has to occupy themselves in doing whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, and if anything is excellent or praise worthy, meditate on these things. All things are to be done to the glory of God, and whatever one’s hands find to do, do it with all their might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

We serve the Lord Christ by exercising love, because Christ laid down his life for us, we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. If any one has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? My brethren let us not love in word or in tongue but with actions and in truth.

Because when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory; all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats of his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in: or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?

The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

We put God first by loving the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, which is expressed by seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, being thankful to God, and delight ourselves before him, which is the first and greatest commandment, and serve the Lord Christ, by loving our neighbors as ourselves, which is the fulfillment of the second great commandment.

Put God first is a sentiment that has certainly been embraced by most, if not all professing Christians, but exactly how to apply it differs from one individual to another. It is therefore imperative that we first learn to put things in true and proper perspective.

The worse thing anyone can do is to spend his/her time (life), resources, even destroying very important relationships pursuing what is believed to be of such great importance to God, and ends up to be all in vain.

As a matter of fact, the worse indictment that has been labeled on those who profess to know God is that of vain worship, and this is duly supported by Jesus Christ who said to the Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God, in order to keep your own traditions” (Mk.7:6-9).

Jesus also cautions his followers saying; “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers” (Matt.21-23).

Therefore the things one needs to do in order to put God first in his/her life are:-

a. Put things in true and real perspective

It is not just a matter of putting God first at all cost whether it is his according to his will or not, but rather put things in true real perspective, and seek first his will.

God has a plan for man before the foundation of the world, for it is stated clearly in the scriptures, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God – not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them.”

We are both the material, and co-workers with Christ whom God is using to accomplish his plan for man. The apostle Paul tells us; “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, his work will be shown for what it is; for the Day will disclose it because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1Cor. 3:10-15).

It is therefore unwise and insensible on the part of anyone who will not try to put things in true perspective and just simply follow trend despite the serious warning given by Jesus Christ saying; “For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”
The apostle Peter echoed a similar sentiment when he says; “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Sovereign Lord who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute” (2Pet.2:1-2).

Since it is the many and not the few that are being led astray, one should not become insensitive and naive to the babble of confusion that plague the Christian religion, and simply take for granted everything that is said and done in the name of God. For thus says the word of wisdom; “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?

One cannot afford to be complacent; the stake is too high to have the wrong perspective of God’s order of things, which can cause one to build his/her thesis on the wrong premise. The prize at stake here is enormous. It is not simply granting one access into a kingdom as citizens, but rather being heirs, rulers of a kingdom, and having a glorified body, which varies in glory. For just as there is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, and star differs from star in glory, so will it be with the resurrection of the dead.

b. Be renewed in the spirit of the mind

The apostle Paul said; “Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more” (Eph.4:14-19).

Those who put God first in their lives however, did not come to know Christ that way. Assuming that they have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, they will put off their old nature which belongs to their former way of life, and which is corrupted through deceitful lusts, and they will be renewed in the spirit of their minds, and will put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

They will put God first by not conforming themselves to this world, but rather be transformed by the renewal of their minds, in order that they may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. They will set their minds on things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. They will put to death all what that is earthly in them, because the unrighteous, the immoral, idolaters, adulterers, sexual perverts, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, and robbers will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Putting God first is to strive to enter by the narrow door; for many I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the house holder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us.’ He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from. Then you will begin to say. ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity! There you will weep and gnash your teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out. And men will come from East and west, and from North and South, and sit at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last” (Lk.13:24-31)

Anyone who breaks one of the least of God’s commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commandments will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

c. Seek first his kingdom of God

In consoling his followers the Lord says to them; “Do not be anxious saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ Or ‘What shall we drink?’ Or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” (Matt.6:31-33

The Kingdom of God and his righteousness is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. It is for this purpose he sent his Beloved Son into the world to die for the sins of man, and resurrected him in glory, in order to fulfill the everlasting covenant and promise he made to Abraham and his descendants.

With regards to the covenant God made with Abraham the apostle Paul wrote, “When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that they might receive the full rights as sons.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, so that by faith they might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Because they are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into their hearts crying, “Abba! Father” So they are no longer slaves, but sons, and since they are sons, God has also made them heirs. Heirs to the promise God made to Abraham and his descendants (Gal.4:4-8; Gal.3:14).

In affirming the immutability of the covenant which God made to Abraham and his descendants, the apostle Paul wrote; “Brethren, let us take an example from every day life. Just as no one can set aside, or add to a human covenant that has been duly established so it is in this case: The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The scripture does not say “and to seeds”, meaning many people, but “and to your seed”, meaning one person, who is Christ” (Gal. 3:15-16).

The promise was extended to David from whom Jesus Christ descended and thus says the Lord; “The days are coming, when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will make a righteous branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety, this is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.’

“For this is what the Lord says: David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices” (Jer.33:14-17).

With regards to the everlasting covenant the Lord made with the house of Israel the prophet Isaiah wrote; “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord will perform it.”

Jesus Christ fulfills this covenant by having an everlasting kingdom, and an everlasting priesthood.

For it is written; “If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come – one in the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?

For the one of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is declared: “You are a priest for ever in the order of Melchizedek”.

Those who formally became priests took their office without an oath, but Jesus Christ became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest for ever.” Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. For it is fitting that we should have such a High Priest, one who is holy, blameless, pure, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens.

Unlike the other high priests, Jesus Christ does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priest men who are weak; but the oath which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect for ever” (Heb.7:11-17; 21-28).

The kingdom of God is the principal and ultimate objective of our calling for thus it is written; “Come to him, to that living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him. You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture in says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, the stone the builders rejected has become the head of the corner,” and a stone that will make men stumble, a rock that will make them fall”; they stumble because they disobey the message, as they were destined to do.
But you (the believer) are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may proclaim the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1Pet.2:5-9).

It is stated that, “Jesus Christ was slain, and by his blood he ransomed men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and has made them a kingdom of priests to God, and they shall reign on the earth” (Rev.5:9-10).

The stone which the builders rejected and has become the chief corner stone is Jesus Christ the King of God’s kingdom. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

The first message Jesus Christ preached when he began his ministry was; “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe the gospel.” (Mk.1:14-15). When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he replied, The kingdom of God is not coming with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is, or there it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Lk.17:20-22).

The establishment of God’s kingdom on earth was revealed to the first world ruling king in a dream, and was later interpreted by the prophet Daniel. In interpreting the dream to the King Daniel said, “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed: nor will it be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand for ever; just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has made known to you what will take place in the future. The dream is certain and its interpretation is sure” (Dan. 2:44-45).

According to Daniel the kingdom of God will be established during the reign of the fourth kingdom on earth (the Roman Empire). He wrote; “As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it in pieces.” But the court, shall sit in judgment and his dominion shall be taken away, and to be consumed and destroyed to the end.

And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High’ their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall verve and obey them: (Dan. 7:23, 26-27).

The kingdom of God and his righteousness is the principal and ultimate objective for to live in righteousness and holiness. We have been admonished saying; “Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and godly fear; for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb.12:28-29).

The kingdom of God is our anticipated reward when Christ returns. He will separate the sheep from the goats, and say to the sheep on his right hand, “Come you are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world” (Matt.25:34).

Man’s temporary sojourn here on earth, is to help him learn how to use his God-given talent, ability and resources, and whatever God has placed under his jurisdiction to the glory of God. This helps him qualify for ruler-ship in the kingdom of God. He is expected to be a faithful steward occupying his time and using his resources diligently until Jesus Christ returns, because it is stated that; “He who is faithful in a very little (everything earthly) is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteousness mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?

Jesus Christ depicted the establishment of the kingdom of God as, a noble man who went into a far country to receive a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them Do business till I come. But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ When he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading.”

Those who gained interest were commended by the noble man saying, “Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities, and to another five cities. But to the one who did not invest his money, what was given to him was taken away from him and given to the one who invested the most. Then the Lord said, I tell you that to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me” (Lk.19:12-27).

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph