First and Foremost: Putting God First

Putting God first is sometimes easier said than done. We live in a world where there are many distractions, whether it be a career, friends or every day life, we don’t always make God our priority. We can easily be consumed by things that take our attention away from God.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

~ Matthew 6:33 ~

So what does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God?

As Christians we are called to make the things of God a priority. This involves constantly working on our salvation, living a life of righteousness, living in obedience and sharing the good news in order to save souls. Basically being about our fathers business should be our main focus.

We shouldn’t be too caught up about the cares of this world. God is very much aware of what our needs are and has promised that He will provide for us (Philippians 4:19).

Recently I took a break from social media, so that I could really spend time in God’s presence. I realised that I wasn’t giving Him my all. God showed me that He wants all of me, and he wants the same for you too. When we put Him first in everything that we do, He will establish His plan for our lives.

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

~ Proverbs 16:3 ESV ~

One of the dangers when we do not put God first is that we can begin to idolise the very thing that we are putting before Him. This could be a desired lifestyle, money, material things or a love interest.

“You shall have no other gods before Me.”

~ Exodus 20:3 ~

The Bible says that you cannot serve two masters, because you will hate one and love the other, or you will be loyal to one and despise the other. It also goes on to say you cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). Whenever you seek to serve anything else other than God you are neglecting how big God is.

If putting God first is something that you personally struggle with then these steps may help you.

1. Fall in Love with Your Creator.

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

~ Deuteronomy 6:5 ~

When you love God with everything, you are making Him your desire and you will find it easier to put Him first.

2. Delight Yourself in God.

“Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

~ Psalms 37:4 ~

When we delight ourselves in God the bible says that He will give us the desires of our hearts. Delighting in God means that our hearts find peace and fulfilment in Him alone.

3. Spend time God’s Presence.

“Early will I seek You…”

~ Psalms 63:1 ~

Spending time in God’s presence means being intentional about the time you spend with Him. Communion with God is so important. Something I have realised is praying first thing in the morning sets the tone for the day. The first thing we should be doing when we wake up is acknowledge and thank God for the fact that we have seen another day.

Jesus even took time to spend time in God’s presence. We see in Mark 1:35 that He went out and departed to a solitary place and prayed.

Another way of being in God’s presence is meditating on the word of God.

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.”

~ Psalms 1:2 ~

4. Trust God Fully.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

~ Proverbs 3:5-6 ~

During my social media fast, this scripture came up over and over again, whether I was reading or listening to a sermon. I realised when we put God first we are demonstrating that we fully trust Him. We tithe because we trust that God can provide all of our needs. The more we trust God the more we will put Him first in all of our decisions.

5. Be About God’s People.

Sometimes we need to take our attention away from ourselves and remember that Jesus’ came to save people and wants us to be part of that.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

‭‭~ Matthew‬ ‭28:19‬ ‭~

When we put God first, we automatically have the desire to put others first because we want to share the Gospel with them and bring them to Christ. After giving our lives to Christ, our next mission should be to win souls.

You will never experience all of God’s greatness until you put Him first. So make the vow to put God first today.

Stay Blessed and Encouraged

Love Nkay