First Things First

Read

Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Think

Imagine you are building a tower out of blocks. What is the most important block? The one on top? No way. It is the one on the bottom. If the bottom block is solid, the whole tower stands tall. Put the wrong thing first, and the whole thing wobbles and falls.

Jesus taught something a lot like that. He said to seek first his kingdom. That word first is the key. Whatever you put first is the block everything else stands on.

When Jesus says seek first his kingdom, he means put God at the bottom of everything. Make him the most important thing in your day. Not the leftover thing you get to if you have time. The first thing.

So what does that look like? It might mean talking to God in the morning before school even starts. It might mean choosing to be kind when it would be easier to be mean. It might mean trusting God with your worries instead of letting them boss you around.

And here is the promise Jesus adds at the end. When you seek God first, all these things will be given to you as well. In other words, you do not have to stress about the rest. When God is first, he takes care of the other stuff.

It is a little backwards from how the world thinks. The world says, “Worry about everything and grab all you can.” Jesus says, “Put me first, and watch how I take care of you.”

Think about your day like that tower of blocks. What are you putting on the bottom? If you build your day on God, you can stand tall even when things get shaky. And things will get shaky sometimes. That is okay. A tower built on God does not fall.

Put first things first. Put God first. Everything else will find its place.

Apply

Give God your first minutes – Tomorrow morning, before you do anything else, take one minute to talk to God. Put him first, like the bottom block of your whole day.

Pray

God, I want to put you first in my life, not last. Help me make you the most important part of my day. Thank you for promising to take care of the rest when I seek you first. In Jesus' name. Amen.