Posted: 12th June, 2010

Me First

Me first? Isn’t that rude? Isn’t that what we teach our children not to be and do? Yes. So how do I resolve this? It depends on what we’re talking about. “Me first” is certainly wrong in selfishly pushing others out of the way in order to get what we want. However, “me first” is necessary when it comes to biblical discipleship – in that the first person that you are to disciple (train/instruct) is… yourself!

Through study of God’s Word, and through my experiences which I have shared with you in earlier posts, I have come to see that what is needed in our lives is a balance of BOTH instruction in biblical doctrine AND the application of God’s truth to our lives, TODAY and every day. If we do not know God’s Word, we have nothing to apply. However, if we only know God’s Word, and do not know how to apply it, or don’t apply it, we will not see the biblical change in our lives that we so desire. This does not mean that we store up truths and then apply them to our lives; but that we apply and put into action the biblical truths we already know, and we keep putting them into action even as we apply new biblical truths we are learning through the Word of God.

Discipleship is becoming the men and women, boys and girls, God wants us to be – FIRST in our own life, and then helping others to do the same in their lives. This is what biblical counseling is all about, and this is what biblical discipleship is all about! Until people learn how to think and act biblically, they are not going to be advancing in their life. Furthermore, this thinking and acting biblically, this becoming the men and women, boys and girls, God wants us to be, is not primarily something we jump in and ‘do’ to others. It is what we work on ourselves FIRST.

Until next time, start putting what you have learned into action TODAY, and every day. Take one biblical truth you know (find it in the Bible), and determinedly apply it NOW.