I heard my dad tell me this more than once. It was not directed at my size but my attitude. He recognized my weakness and loved me in a way that I can still hear his voice of correction. An attitude of “Too Big For Your Britches” is a heart for me first…”my way” that leads to “I did it!” God still recalls my dad’s voice for this lifelong struggle.

I love the Old Testament. It’s full of stories. While the names and the times are different, the more I study God’s Word, the more I recognize the prominence & dominance of the “Attitude of Me!”

Take for instance King Saul. In 1 Samuel 9:2 Saul was described as “a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.” In 1 Samuel 10:1, we discover God selecting Saul to be king. “Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince over His (God’s) heritage.” And Saul did very well for many years. But the spirit of “Me First” creeped into his heart. Saul began to think what he saw was his. He thought he was smart enough…big enough, after all, he was King Saul. King Saul got too big for his britches.

God, like my dad, used Samuel to warn Saul many times. But Saul, it seems was a “Picker & Chooser.” Saul would pick out & choose what he wanted to hear. God’s patience only goes so far, then comes God’s hand of correction. It’s found in 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 (ESV), “So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. 14 He did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.”

Saul had it all and lost it all. Saul changed from operating with an attitude of everything belongs to God, to “this is my kingdom.” He went from depending on God for everything to depending on his power & authority. At the core, in Saul’s heart, he moved God off the Throne and put himself on the throne.

This takes us to the matter of, “who is first in your life”? It’s a heart issue. God told Moses what must be first. It’s more than reciting & memorizing the words. It’s not just knowing it, it is living it daily. Jesus quoted it from Deuteronomy 6:5 in Matthew 22:37, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”

The Principle is clear. No matter who you are or what you have the question before us is, Who is first in your life…who are you trying to please?