First Place Only Series

Gerald Kennedy in his book The Christian And His America tells of

hearing the head of one of the largest airplane companies at a luncheon

where he was reporting on the situation facing America in the field of air

defense. He described the growth of our air force, and the probable

growth of the air strength of Russia. Then he made a major point and

said, "There is no such thing as a second best air force." If your planes

will reach an elevation of 50 thousand feet and your enemies planes will

reach 55 thousand feet, your fleet, for all practical purposes, is obsolete.

He added, "It is like having a second best hand in poker." You don't have

to know much about poker to get the point. There are some things in

which second best just doesn't count at all. Only first place is a winner.

This being the case, we must determine in our system of values what

those things are which must be supreme, and that can only be thought of

as first place only goals. In the realm of knowledge, for example, the

believer must recognize that the knowledge of God must be supreme. It is

a goal that must be in first place only, for if it is any less than first, and if

he tries to make it his second highest goal, then he has, for all practical

purposes, displaced God for an idol of some sort, which he has put in first

place.

Idolatry is a constant danger even for a Christian, just as it was for

the Old Testament saints. We must seek first the kingdom of God and His

righteousness. God said, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." This

is God's supreme demand. By His very nature God cannot tolerate any

other position than first place in the life of His children. He would not be

supreme if anyone or anything stood in a place of higher allegiance than

Himself. That is why Solomon makes it clear to his son that body, mind

and soul must be committed to the search if one is to find God's best. The

first place prize in anything does not go to the idle and indifferent, but only

to the diligent, and so it is in the search for God's wisdom. In a previous

message we have seen that Solomon taught his son he must be receptive,

retentive and responsive, or aggressive, and we want to pursue this last one

a little further. God must be to us what gold is to the miner, and what

wealth is to the miser.

I. DILIGENCE IS DEMANDED.

Solomon says the search for God's wisdom and guidance is to be on a

level with the search for silver and hidden treasure. The zeal and passion,

and even avarice of the human heart that drives men to face great dangers

and expend extra ordinary energy for the sake of treasure is the stand by

which our zeal for God is measured. If we put so little value on the riches

of God that we will not put forth the effort men put forth for earthly

riches, then we are unworthy of receiving them.

The godless man will search and labor for silver and wealth as if it

were the ultimate value, and ought not the godly then work for the true

ultimate value as if it were silver and wealth? In other words, saved and

unsaved people do not differ in their means, but they always differ in their

ends. The saved person always has the end of making God and His

wisdom first place in life. The unsaved may work just as hard using the

same means, but his end is that self may be in first place. The point

Solomon is making is, that the believer must exert as least equal energy to

attain the knowledge of God as the unbeliever exerts to gain his ambition of being rich.

This, remember, is not just a wise suggestion, but it is actually a

condition that must be fulfilled if one is going to understand the fear of

God and find the knowledge of God. Never that knowing God is easy.

Like treasure that is hidden it is only found by diligent digging. To expect

to know the infinite by being idol or indifferent is to expect the impossible.

The knowledge of God belongs only to those who seek for wisdom as the

greedy seek for wealth.

It is important to see that our part is to seek and exert the energy in

diligent search. It is God's part to see that we find. In the New Testament

we are urged to ask and it will be given, to seek and we will find, to knock