Put First Things First

Ecclesiastes 3:10-14; 12:13-14; Mark 12:28-34
Related Sunday School Lesson, Family Bible Series, Sept. 18

Life is about relationships. These relationships have both vertical and horizontal dimensions. We are created with the capacity and need to relate to God in the heavens and to man under the heavens.

God created a desire within the heart of every man to know Him by creating him in His own image. In Ecclesiastes 3:11, we see that God has set eternity in our hearts. This causes us to long to know the one who created us and to have a relationship with Him. This longing in the heart has the potential to lead sinful man to the redemptive plan made possible by God through the death and resurrection of His Son and opens the door for the repentant sinner to begin a new life of enjoying God forever.

View God Correctly, Eccl. 3:10-14

In the previous two chapters, Solomon writes about numerous things he pursued in life looking for satisfaction, only to find them to be disappointing dead-ends. In this passage, he helps us to understand that only in a vital relationship with God can one find the true fulfillment he is longing for.

God has insured that we will not find satisfaction in temporal pursuits by putting “eternity” in our hearts. This creates within man a curiosity about the creator and spurs us on a quest, a passionate search for answers about Him. How did He do all that He has done? What did He have in mind? What was His purpose for me? How can I get to know Him?

This curiosity is satisfied initially in salvation, but God never intended for this curiosity to end at salvation. He fully intended that we keep on growing in desire and knowledge of Him until He changes us into His likeness.

Fear God Obediently, Eccl. 12:13-14

When Solomon comes to the conclusion of Ecclesiastes, he reduces twelve chapters into six words, “Fear God and keep His commandments.” This fear that he refers to should be understood as loving reverence and carries with it the idea of the respect and honor deserving of one who is in supreme authority. This respect is motivated by admiration for the character of the one in consideration. When one is deserving of this kind of fear, obedience is not viewed as something one has to do but as something one gets to do.

Solomon reminds us that no one is exempt from accountability to God. In fact, everyone’s actions, whether public or private, will be brought before God’s throne to be judged as to whether they are good or evil. This should motivate every man to live his life with the end in mind. As the writer of Hebrews said, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.”

Love God Supremely, Mark 12:28-34

Solomon’s last message in Ecclesiastes, “Fear God and keep His commandments,” is clarified by Jesus Himself in Mark 12 where He points out the greatest commandment. He also reminds us that there is really only one true God and that He is Lord. Our primary passion in life, once we have embraced Him as Lord, should be to love Him supremely.

One of the greatest misunderstandings of the average Christian is that living for Jesus is about keeping an endless number of legalistic rules. Jesus says that the most important thing we can do as a Christian is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

It is not complicated to understand what it means to love God with our mind and strength. At the least, we would be referring to our thought processes and our efforts and energy. We cannot possibly love God unless we think with grateful appreciation about His wonderful attributes and demonstrations of love toward us.

Also, how can we say we love God unless we express those thoughts in outward expressions of loving service to Him? To say you love God without outward expressions of service would be like telling your wife you love her without ever doing tangible things to prove it.

To love God with your heart and soul is a little more complicated to understand. The heart is understood by many commentators as the center of the emotions which drives us in our decision making. Jesus told the religious Pharisees that they had a lot of religious activity, but their hearts were far from Him.

Little is written these days about the soul. It is more difficult to understand. In Genesis 2:7, we find that God breathed life into man and he became a “living soul.” This living soul is able to relate to everything that exists around him. He can have thoughts about them, have feelings about them, and make decisions about them.

The Greek word for soul is “pseuke.” We get our word “psychology” from this word. The soul, then, is the God-given capacity to relate to God and the world around us. James describes the prideful man as double-minded or two-souled, meaning that he wants the approval of the world around him and the approval of God at the same time. James says that to have the approval of both simultaneously is impossible.

Therefore, to love God means to love Him with heart, soul, mind and strength. To love Him supremely is to love Him above all else. It is to give Him the “first place” love He is worthy of. Only when we give God His rightful place, “put first things first,” can our other relationships be all God intended.