Prioritizing God
Prioritizing God
Many things in our lives compete for our attention, making it easy to get distracted. Instead of focusing on the right things—the ones that truly matter and give our lives meaning—we can easily veer off course, distracted by everything that comes our way. What is at the top of our list? As sons and daughters of God, we must intentionally prioritize Him above all else. No matter what distractions come our way, we need to keep Him first. The Lord must always be at the center of our lives. Even though there are things we want and desire, we must make sure that all those things come second to Him. Jesus underscores this in the book of Matthew, teaching us a vital truth we should live by every day. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33 ESV
In this scripture, Jesus is not suggesting that we seek Him first. It’s a commandment. And there is blessing as we put Him first in our lives. But most times, we get the order wrong. We get distracted with all the other things in our lives, and the Lord is the last person we think of and prioritize. When we put God first, it means we give Him top priority over everything else. When He is first, He becomes the principal figure in our lives and central to all we do and think. When we choose to put God first, we determine that He is more important than anything else in our lives. Whether it’s the demands of work, raising a family, or personal struggles, keeping Jesus as the focal point can seem like a daunting task at times. But it doesn’t have to be. As we strive for Jesus to be
first or at the center of our lives, we need to recognize that we need Him. When life gets overwhelming and everything seems out of control, we can turn to
Jesus for guidance and strength.
As we seek Him first, Jesus promises us that all the things we need and desire will follow. As we put Him first, He will bless us with everything that we need, but we must not get the order wrong. We must not make the Lord second, third, fourth, and so on. That is not His place. He belongs at the top. He belongs at number one. Just as the planets faithfully orbit the sun, so should everything in our lives revolve around Him—our source of light, life, and direction.
As we strive to put the Lord first above all else in our lives, let’s meditate on what it says in Matthew 22:37.
“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”
Prioritizing God involves every part of our being. It’s not just a mental or physical thing; it’s everything. As believers, it would seem like we would automatically keep God first in all things, but this world is full of distractions. It is challenging at times to keep our minds focused on seeking God first. It is tempting to listen to the voices and opinions of others when we are making decisions. Wise, godly counsel from others is great, but it should not override God’s counsel and truth in His word.
Many people miss out on the blessings God has prepared for them—not because He withholds them, but because they fail to put Him first in their lives.” How about you? What – or who – is first in your life?
“Firsts” are important to God. Remember, in the first commandment He said,
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before
me.”
Exodus 20:2,3
Clearly, He wants to be ahead of everything else in your life. He wants to be your number one priority. Not putting God first is like buttoning your coat incorrectly: if you get the first button wrong, all the others will be wrong. The good news is that when you get the first button right, all the other buttons will line up correctly. When you put God first, everything else will find its rightful place. I want to go back to Matthew 6 and focus on a specific part of the verse, which says,
“Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”
Matthew 6:32 ESV
God knows everything that you need. There is no need or desire that you have that God doesn’t know about. He is not oblivious to your cries of desperation. He has not closed His ears and His eyes to what you want. So, as you seek Him first, know that He means it when He says as you put Him first, everything else will follow. We have such a clear example of this in King Solomon. When God appeared to him, He asked him what it was that he needed. Imagine the richest and most powerful person on earth, who has all the resources of the earth at his or her disposal, asking you that question – what do you need?
“And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this great people?”
1 Kings 3:7-9 ESV
Solomon loved God very much, and that informed what he asked for. Nothing else took first place in his life. God was the top priority in his life, and nothing the world had to offer could take His place. So when God came to him and asked him what he wanted, he knew exactly what he wanted because nothing else was first in his life. He didn’t ask for riches beyond imagination, fame, and all the other things. He asked God for wisdom to lead the Israelites because he knew he couldn’t lead without God. And because of his answer, he received so much more than he had asked or imagined.
“It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you had been before you and none like you shall rise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.”
1 Kings 3:10-13 ESV
Because God was first place in Solomon’s life, everything else followed, and so it will be for you. We don’t seek the Lord’s face because the stuff is the most important thing. We seek the Lord first because we know that without Him, we are nothing. We put Him first because we know there is no one like Him. He saved us and called us into His family. Let’s make a commitment to put Him first in all of our days. It’s going to take something within to commit to living each day for Christ. It requires a surrender—a dying to self, a release of personal plans and ambitions—so that His divine purpose can take precedence in your life. Only when we let go can we fully step into what He has prepared for us. Will it be easy? No, it won’t. But it will be worthwhile.
There will be a fight as we decide to take down all those other things that have taken top priority in our lives. We will be tempted to be selfish and live for ourselves. We truly need God’s help if we are going to prioritize Him in our lives. We can’t do it in our own strength. As we commit ourselves to the Lord daily, we need to confront the hidden things that are in our hearts that currently take God’s place. Surrender all those things at His feet and remember to seek Him first. We show Him our love by putting Him first. So, let’s continue to put Him first and see what He will do in our lives.
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