THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST

THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST


Do you like to finish
LAST at anything?


It used to be-when I
Was a younger man-I had
A COMPETITIVE STREAK-I couldn't
Bear to not win-let alone
FINISH LAST


I grew out of that
And LEARNED to live IN God-
To live in compassion-of others
HOPEFULLY a little more like Christ


But Jesus PROVED that there
IS HOPE for all of us=
In the 10^th chapter of Saint Mark's gospel
He says something-that is as usual=ASTOUNDING


“But MANY that are first
Will be last-


And the last-
Will be FIRST” Mark 10:31


In that same chapter
Is a story of a RICH
Young man-who wants to KNOW
What he has to do
To INHERIT the KINGDOM OF GOD


Jesus tells him-that he MUST
KEEP the commandments
And the rich young man says
That he does that


And then Jesus tells him
To GO & SELL everything
That he owns and give the money
To the poor


WHO could do such a thing?
And of course this young man
Couldn't


THE LAST shall be first


The crippled-the lame-the sick-
And those who AREN'T CHOSEN
In this world


The kid picked last
The kid that is BANISHED to play in right field


The LAST shall be FIRST


ANOTHER example of the last
And the first-is the story
Of the rich man and Lazarus-
The BEGGAR


Lazarus is a POOR man
Who BEGS
Outside the gate every day
For a SCRAP of food


The rich man-NEVER-
SHOWED Lazarus any mercy


Shortly thereafter=they BOTH DIE
And Lazarus goes to HEAVEN


And the rich man-
Does NOT make it
And now he is begging
And he is TOLD NO


“Father Abraham-have pity on me
And SEND Lazarus to dip
The tip of his finger in water
And COOL my tongue
Because I am agony
In this fire” Luke 16:24


So what about us?
WHAT about us=who do their BEST
But come up SHORT?


Peter asks Jesus the question
For us


“Peter spoke up-'WE have
Left EVERYTHING to follow you'” Mark 10:28


“Truly I tell you,' Jesus replied, 'NO
ONE who has left home or brothers
Or sisters-or mother or father or children
Or fields for me-and the GOSPEL


Will fail to RECEIVE 100 times
As much-
….....
And in the age to come-ETERNAL LIFE


BUT many who are first
Will be last-and the last-FIRST'” Mark 10:29-31


Dear Lord=HELP ME to let others
GO AHEAD of me-
And be CONTENT to be LAST & LEAST today


In Jesus' name


Robert P. Wallman
2-27-17




Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Julia Walsh, F.S.P.A.