The Foremost Thing That a Person Should Possess

The foremost thing that a person needs to know is God’s righteousness. It is very important that a person knows God and follows God. It is mentioned in the book of Matthew in chapter 6 verse 33 it says—

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Do you know where the recognition of God and the obedience to His commandments summed up? I John 5:3 says—

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

The summary of recognition, and obedience to God and His righteousness, is love. The primary thing that a person needs to possess is the love of God, and the love of God means obedience to His commandments. This is given confirmation in Matthew 22:37-38, which says—

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.”

The love of God is the primary component in the life of a person who has known God. However, there are people who love their pastors more than they love God. They follow whatever their pastors tell them, despite the fact that what they say are against the will of God. For example, if a pastor tells his members to kill, they kill. Is killing your fellowman in conformity with the laws of God? No! But why do they kill? ... Because of their obedience to their pastor and disobedience to God. Do not let your pastors fool you. As written in Matthew 22:38, 37--

“This is the first and great commandment. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”

The foremost thing that a person needs to develop in his life is the love of God. And the love of God means obedience to His commandments and submission to His will. Nothing can be more important than that. It doesn’t matter if we have shortcomings with our fellowmen, it doesn’t matter if we neglect, occasionally, our family, so long as we are faithful in the performance of our duties to God, and we have put God on top of our priorities. God will fill whatever our shortcomings are to our loved ones. God is all-powerful. He can do things which nobody else can.

That is why, if we will only follow what the Bible says, if only we will stick to the word of God, we will make our obedience to God our top priority. You have to give greater importance to matters that concern God than chatting with friends and engaging yourself in worldly pleasures, or being worried about your personal cares. More than anything and anybody else, we have to love God. And the love of God means obedience to His commandments.

Now, the question is: What happens to a person who does not make God his top priority, that instead of God, other matters are more important to him? What would happen to him for disobeying what God had commanded? In Romans 1:28-32 it says—

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only to do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Because they refused to acknowledge God, God gave them to a reprobate mind for them to do things which are not right. They were filled with unrighteousness. That is why, if you come across a murderer, that means that that person does not acknowledge God. If you see headstrong and disobedient children, that is also a proof that they do not acknowledge God. That is what Romans 1:28-32 says—

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whispers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

So, if you meet people who possess those attitudes, that only means one thing – they do not acknowledge God. Why? If you know God, you will not be fierce, you will not kill, you will not deceive others, you will not be an inventor of evil things, and you will not be disobedient to your parents. Those are manifestations of a person’s non-recognition of God. That is why if a person did not learn to love and acknowledge God, his inevitable ending is wickedness. A person can never be good if he does not acknowledge God. Psalms 53:2-4 says,

“God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand that did seek God. Every one of them is gone aback: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one, Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? …”

Who are those who do not do good? Psalms 53:1 says—

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.”

Those who do not do good are those who do not acknowledge God. The Bible calls them “fool”. The fools are those who claim that there is no God.

Who are those who commit abominable iniquity? Those who do not acknowledge God! That is why if you will take God out of a person’s life, he will definitely become evil. We were not created to be absolute. We were created to be dependent on our Creator. Sever yourself from the Creator, you will still live, why not? But your life will already be out of order. Actually, even if a person does not acknowledge God, he would still live because God is the giver of life to all, including the animals and the insects and the trees. In fact, there are trees that live very long. What do I mean to say? God is the giver of life, and a person may still live even if he does not acknowledge any God. However, his life is just out of order. As mentioned in Psalms 53:1—

“The fool said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.”

The so-called “heinous crimes” are but a result of people’s refusal to acknowledge God. Only those who do not acknowledge God can commit those abominable works. Psalms 14:1, 3 says—

“The fool said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

They all have gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, no one.”

The results of the people’s refusal to acknowledge God are abominable works, filthiness, and all forms of foolishness. Many people even brag as they say that we are the only Christian country in Asia. I don’t think so. If the Philippines is, indeed, a Christian country, why are there many wicked people here? The Philippines is not really a Christian country. There might be Christians in the Philippines, but they do not comprise the majority. There are many liars in the religious sector. They are not being true to their members, and still, they claim to be Christians. If we are to analyze the Philippines in the light of the Scriptures, we will discover that the Philippines is not really a Christian country. I am not ashamed of being a Filipino, because I know that in the Philippines there are true Christians. But I cannot accept that the Philippines is predominantly a Christian country. Why? Because the country is dominated by wickedness that results from the people’s non-recognition of God!

Do not be influenced by the ideology that there is no God. Just make a thorough study of your being and you’ll realize that there is God. If you will only learn the scientific attitudes and principles, we will be compelled to believe that there is God. Our beings and surroundings are not results of an accident. Instead, they are the fruits of the toil of an Almighty Being.

Our being is not a product of an accident as claimed by other. That is not true. An accident, or an evolution, cannot produce exact things. If you are going to follow the theory of evolution, it would show you that evolution is a mere accident. It is not planned. However, if you are going to analyze our being and our surroundings, you will see that they were all planned.

It had been planned that there should be 21% oxygen and 78% nitrogen in the atmosphere to sustain life. And since oxygen is vital to the sustenance of life, God created the plants. These plants need carbon dioxide, and in return, they release oxygen. The oxygen, which has been inhaled by man, will be released in the form of carbon dioxide which is needed by plants. In other words, there is a definite cycle that takes place. That being the case, how can you say that man’s existence is a mere result of an accident? There must be a God who designed that cycle. How did it happen that the oxygen that the plants will release will be consumed by man, and the carbon dioxide that man releases will be consumed by plants? How did it become an accident? Instead, it had been planned by a great architect and builder of the universe and that is the Almighty God. Just try to think about it.

Cruelty is also a result of man’s refusal to acknowledge God. Look at Hitler. Because he did not acknowledge God, it was too easy for him to kill millions of people. Refusal to acknowledge God will not do a person any good. I don’t believe that a person can be considered good if he refuses to acknowledge God. As mentioned in the Bible, “there is none that doeth good.” A person who does not acknowledge God is bad. I apologize to those who do not believe in God. I have nothing personal against you. But I am just saying what I have read from the Bible. No person can be considered good if he does not fear God. He who does not acknowledge God is bad. You can find good people only among those who acknowledge God; while abominable wickedness and heinous crimes can be found among those who do not fear God. If ever they happen to know any god, surely, it must be a false god, not the real God. This is what Romans 21:23-25 says—

“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.”

This is what results out of man’s refusal to recognize God. Although they profess to know God, but, apparently, it’s not the real God that they know. Why? ... because they have changed the incorruptible glory of God with a corruptible glory of man. They have changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to a corruptible man, and to birds, and to four-footed beasts and creeping things. No wonder there are people who worship birds and beasts. Others worship a woman stepping on a snake; they kneel before her. There are those who kneel before a saint riding on a horse. That is why every time that they kneel before that saint, they are also kneeling before the horse. In the first place, they cannot order the saint to go down from the horse, or tell the horse to leave, because they will worship the saint. On the other hand, there is a saint who is being accompanied by a dog, so that when a worshipper kneels before that saint, he is also bending his knees for the dog. What the Bible said is being realized in them. They have changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to a corruptible man, and to birds, four-footed beasts, and creeping things. They have changed the truth of God into a lie, and they worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator.

Their god is a false god. This is the reason why this world gets worse every day. Do you want this world to get better? Introduce God and His will to all. Nowadays, very few bother to lift a finger to make God and His will be known to all. The schools hardly introduce God to the youths. In fact, the very first lesson that they instill in the minds of the children is ABC. But, it would be better if, before the parents send their children to school, they should introduce God to them first. Tell them that God is the reason why they have come into existence. Explain to them what God has done to them since the day they were born. Normally, children ask their parents where they came from. They ask why there is a moon. They are interested to know why the sun gives off heat while the moon does not. By responding to their inquiries, you are being given the chance to introduce God in their young minds. Ideally, that should be the first lessons that the school should teach to the children, instead of singing and writing. Actually, even if they reach high school and college, they are not offered an avenue for learning and knowing God. And what is worse, in their respective churches the god that their pastors introduce to them are merely false gods. With this situation, is it still surprising why this world is getting worse?

There are those who say that, for this world to be good, we need good law enforcers and good government officials. That is not true. Nothing and nobody could become good if there is not God. For the government officials and the citizenry to be good, they should get to know God first. Read them the Bible. Unfortunately, very few radio and television stations today preach the word of God. Most of the programs they air, especially during primetime, deal with gossips, while the talk show programs that tackle moral issues are being aired during the wee hours – when children are already asleep. That is why we must not be surprised if the succeeding generations will breed nothing but gossip mongers, who adore actors and actresses, instead of God. The moral values of man deteriorate, partly, due to the mass media. They transmit other things instead of introducing God.

The wickedness of man is a result of his non-recognition of God. But if we are going to refer to what the Bible says, the very first thing that we must seek for is God. Our love and obedience to God should come before anything else because it is to Him that we owe our life.

Try to observe a newborn babe. What is the first thing that a newborn looks for? The very first thing that a newborn babe looks for is the breast of his mother, because the breast milk is what he needs for his survival. Do not feed the infant with cow’s milk right away. Breast milk is still best for babies. Why? The first milk that an infant could suck from his mother’s breast contains anti-bodies that would be his defense against illnesses, while the next that he would suck contains the vitamins that he needs. That is why the very first drops of milk from a mother’s breast is very important to the baby.

However, there are mothers who, after breast-feeding for a few weeks, readily switch to cow’s milk as a substitute. Remember that a baby is a human being, but you are feeding him with a cow’s milk when your breasts still have milk. As a result, the child imbibes the attitudes of a beast. Perhaps, after breast-feeding for six months, or one year, a mother can already switch to cow’s milk because she has already given her baby a very healthy foundation. But there are mothers who breast-feed only for a day. That is why after a month, they are, again, pregnant. Before they knew it, they already have seventeen children. How can you look after seventeen children? Child rearing requires a lot of time. So, how can you properly take care of so many children? Because of this, the children begin to loiter in the streets, and begin to learn all sorts of vices and evil things. And this is one of the reasons why the society gets worse. That is why, it is very important that we get to know, and learn to love God.

What is our basis in saying that love is the most important of all? And if love is the most important, what ranks as the second and the third most important? I Corinthians 13:13 says—

“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.”

Charity, or love, is the greatest of all because God is love. I John 4:16 says—

“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”

Charity, or love, is the most important among the three – faith, hope, and charity, or love. What is that love? It is the love of God’ obedience to His Commandments and submission to His will. These are the things that we need to possess for us to live peacefully and for us to be saved. Do we have a confirmation that love, indeed, is the most important of all? This is what I Corinthians 13:1-3 says—

“Though I speak with the tongues of men of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”

In other words, love, or charity, is what makes man worthy and his life, meaningful. In Greek, this kind of love is called agape. This is the holy love which the Gospel of Christ teaches. So, even if a person gives away everything that he possesses, even if he allows himself to be burned, that would not mean a thing if he does not have love.

It is just bad that, this most important component is what many of us are lacking. But do you know what many people keep and nurture in their hearts? Hatred, ill feelings toward his fellowman, and selfishness. Man loves only those who belong to his family – his parents, his brothers and sisters; but hates somebody else’s mother and father, brothers and sisters. He does not have love. He lacks what the Bible teaches as the most important. So, what will happen to man now? He will get worse; his moral values will continue to deteriorate. And granting that he has faith, that faith remains useless because he does not have love. That is what the Bible said. Even if you claim to have faith and hope, yet you are without love, that wouldn’t have any bearing at all. Why? Because you have taken away what the Bible said as the most important, and that is love, or charity. Faith and hope minus love is nothing. That is why we must not take for granted the fundamental commandment. Let us exercise love, or charity.

Are there other verses that would prove that love, or charity, is, indeed, the first of them all? Colossians 3:14 says,

“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”

Which should be above all things? St. Paul said, charity, or love, should be above all things because it is the bond of perfection.

Let me ask you. Do you have love? Perhaps you would tell me that you have it because you love your wife. That is why, even if your wife has become quite domineering, you just let her do as she pleases because you love her. That is what you think! But that is not love, as far as the Bible is concerned. Do you know the meaning of love that the Bible teaches? Actually, there are different kinds of love. There is the love of parents for their children, and the love of children for their parents; there is the love of a husband for his wife, and the love of the wife for her husband. The kind of love that a husband has for his wife should be different from the kind of love that a father should manifest to his children. Otherwise, he might rape his own daughter; in the same manner that, the love of a husband for his wife should not be rendered to other women. If he does, he’ll become unfaithful to his wife.

This is the reason why the Bible is very specific. It should be holy love, or agape. This is the kind of love that each of us should possess. I Corinthians 13:4-5 says—

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh n evil;”

Charity, or love, is kind. It is not selfish. It is soft-hearted, and is always ready to forgive.

“… envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself…”

So, if you see a person who keeps on praising himself, that person does not have love. What else?

“… is not puffed up,”

A person who has love, or charity, does not brag. He is not boastful. Nowadays, a lot of people are boastful and proud. They underrate their fellowmen.

“… Doth not behave itself unseemly,”

A person who has love does not behave with impropriety. He does not take advantage of a woman. On the other hand, a woman who has love should dress up with modesty and decency. Sometimes, we readily get the impression that a person has an unseemly behavior by the way he, or she, dresses up. For instance, a woman has an unseemly behavior if the slit of her skirt reaches up to the middle of her thighs. So that whenever she walks, the onlookers are already given a view of what is underneath that skirt. That kind of a woman does not have love, because if she does, she would not have dressed up that way. A woman who has love will not wear dresses with plunging necklines, which almost bare her full breasts. In wearing those dresses, men are being provoked to imagine something else. In a way, the number of rapists grows in number due to the doings of the women themselves. They bare their bodies as though they were selling them. These women are void of shame.

Sometimes, a woman reasons out that, she is making herself beautiful because of her husband. That is not true. If that is true, you should start making herself look enticing only a few hours before your husband comes home. If he is coming home at 7 PM, you should take a bath at around 5 PM, wear perfume, apply lipstick, and wear micro mini skirt. But why is it that you are wearing micro mini and applying make-up whenever you are going out of the house? That only means that you are not really making yourself beautiful for the pleasure of your husband but for the pleasure of other men. You just want to display yourself. What does that mean? Please, don’t get offended but this is what Hosea 2:13 says—

“And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers …”

You just want to be wooed by other men. You are enticing men so that they would whistle at you as you sway your hips to the left and to the right while you walk. Isaiah 3:16 says—

“Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, and walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet;”

You are deliberately producing a tinkling sound as you walk because you want to be noticed. That means that you are looking for a lover. Once again, let us go over the qualities of love. I Corinthians 13:4-9 says—

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things; Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;”

Charity has many characteristics. If you will learn all of them, you will not kill; you will not behave unseemly; you will not utter any vile word; you will not be cruel to your fellowman; you will not degrade other people; and you will no longer boast. Instead, you will be kind-hearted, and you will no longer behave unseemly because you now have love. And if you have love, you can easily abide by all of God’s commandments. Romans 13:9-10 says—

“For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

Try to study all of God’s commandments, and you’ll see that they are all summed up in love. God loves you and your fellowman that is why He commanded you not to kill, not to commit adultery, etc. He does not want you to offend the feelings of others. As mentioned, “Love is the fulfilling of the law.” That is why we are saying that, love is the foremost need of man. Now, of love, or charity, is the first, what are the second and the third needs of man? I Corinthians 13:13 says—

“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

Therefore, the second and the third needs of man are faith and hope. But will it be alright if man will just have love, but without faith? Will that be possible? Is faith that necessary in the life of a person? Hebrew 11:6 says—

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Will God be pleased if you do not have faith? No! That is why charity or love has companions, and one of them is faith. The Bible says—

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, and he who comes to God must believe that he is God and He is a “rewarder”.

These are vital factors to salvation. So, for us to please God, we need to do things by faith. Faith is needed. What can faith do in the life of a person? What can faith in God do to a person? What can faith do to a person’s being? Matthew 17:20 says—

“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

Faith can do wonders to a person. Things that are impossible are made possible by faith. Things that are difficult are made easy if a person has faith.