Go for the Gold, But Silver is Better…

Everyone strives to be number one. It is good to push yourself. But the most important thing in your life is not you—it’s God. You have to put God first in your life. Therefore, the best position is often a secondary position. You won’t hear a coach say, go for #2, but you might hear this in a church service. We are always told that family comes first. However, the Bible says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33) People constantly seek power and money. It is important that we understand that we play a different role in this world. In those roles we must comprehend how we are servants, under the authority of others, and we are constant role models.

Servant:

What is a servant? A servant is a person that performs duties for others. In this case, we are all servants for God. “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (1 Cor. 4:1) Jesus the ultimate leader, came to serve and die for us. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) Being a servant usually isn’t the high income earning profession. Everyone wants to be the millionaire, movie star, pro athlete. If you do those for God it’s fine. But remember, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). We can demonstrate our love for God by expressing our love for others. “For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:5). Humbling oneself for the good of others is not always easy. The path to incredible greatness is found in service.

Judge:

Society often has a clear hierarchy. There will always be people that have higher authority than you. If you are familiar with the criminal justice system or have been to court, you quickly realize that the judge has a lot of power. Judges are mentioned throughout the Bible. They have authority over the people. (2 Chron. 19:5-7, Ex. 18:13-26, Deut. 25: 1-2, 1 Sam. 7:15-17) But the ultimate Judge has authority over you. “But God is the Judge; He puts down one and exalts another.” (Psalm 75:7) It is important to recognize God as our judge and follow him with a loving heart. “For the LORD is our judge, The LORD is our lawgiver, The LORD is our king; He will save us.“ (Isaiah 3) A judge has wisdom, truth and discernment. Eventually, a judge will execute sentence. “There none righteous, not even one;” (Rom. 3:10) Therefore it is important not to be judged. “Whoever believes in him is not condemned,” (John 3:18)

Role Model:

As role models we are to be the light of the world. (Matt. 5:14) That doesn’t mean we act religious, accuse people, or live an immoral life. We are to lift up others around us. We are to teach by example. Often we are self-centered and it is difficult to focus on others. Teachers know how to focus on their students—they are the priority. You should follow the ultimate role model and walk like Jesus. “For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21)

The word, second, is not that bad. In fact be grateful for the second chances (Matt. 18:21-22, Jonah 2:1-3, Lam. 3:21-23, Isa. 43:18) The Bible is full of people that received second chances (Jonah, Peter, David, etc.) Don’t be obsessed with climbing the hill of power and money. Be focused on walking with God. If someone points out that you are not perfect, or that you are not the best–that’s fine. Just reply that you know who the best is and that is your role model. It doesn’t matter if you are 2nd, 3rd or 4th as long as you are on the winning team. If you are on God’s team then you are on the best team that always wins gold.

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