Seek Him First
Psalms 63:1
1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
Matthew 6:33
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Proverbs 8:17
17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
Jeremiah 29:13
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
God can and will bless us the most when we put Him first. We should seek him early in life, early in the day, and early when trouble arises. The longer we wait, the more we will operate in our own understanding and the more we will resort to solutions that are far less effective than Jesus. Seek Him early.
I was blessed by a message preached several years ago by Pastor Art Hodges from San Diego, CA. The message was entitled “God First.” At the conclusion of his sermon, he handed out business cards. I still have mine (pictured below).
You probably cannot read it very well because I have been carrying it in my wallet for about 10 years. The simplicity of the message has made a profound impact on my life.
It simply reminds us to put God first in our thoughts, conversation, reading, time, affections, money, talent, and worship.
Thoughts: Do we make sure our thoughts are pleasing to God? Do we think of Him first in our decision-making? Do we allow His will to govern our thoughts?
Conversation: Are the words of our mouth pleasing to Him? Are we blessing the Lord at all times? Is His praise continually in my mouth? Is my mouth a conduit of blessings and edification to others? Are words of prayer and praise the first things to escape my lips in the morning?
Reading: Do we read the Bible before anything else in the morning? Do we place Bible reading as the top priority of our reading material?
Time: Do we spend more time on eternal things or temporal things? Do we spend time advancing the Kingdom of God? Do we make every effort to participate in fellowship with the body of Christ?
Affections: Do we love God more than anything else? Do we seek first the Kingdom of God? Do we set our affections on things above, on things eternal?
Money: Do we make giving to the Kingdom of God a priority? Do we give out of our first-fruits or our leftovers? Do we give to God first and then pay for other things with whatever is left?
Talent: Are we using our talents to bless the Kingdom of God or promote ourselves? Are we using our abilities to do the will of God or to pursue fame an fortune? Are we using our talents to make Him famous?
Worship: Do we make God the central focus of our worship? Is there anything we revere or adore more than God? Do we thirst and long for fellowship with Him?
It is good to examine our lives today in light of these simple principles. I have heard it said that if you want to see what someone values the most in their lives, look at their checkbook and their day-timer. Most of us don’t actually use a checkbook or day-timer anymore, but the principle is the same. We will devote time and money to whatever we love the most. Talk is cheap. If we say we are seeking the Kingdom of God first, but we are not putting Him first in the areas listed above, we love other things more.
Putting Him first will produce more joy, more peace, more contentment, and a deeper fulfillment than anything else in this life can afford.
Yes, it takes effort. Yes, we have to reexamine ourselves often to make sure we are not allowing other things to rob our devotion to God. No, it is not always easy. But a life in devotion to Jesus is one of abundant blessings.
You can put other things first and be left wanting. You can put other things first and lose all you have worked so hard for in one heart-breaking event. Putting Him first always yields great reward, both here, and in the life to come. Remember, we are storing up treasure in heaven where thieves cannot steal, and rust and moth cannot corrupt.
Put Him first and experience abundant life. He will not disappoint you. You will never regret putting Him first.