Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser
There are so many things that call for our attention and devotion. Our jobs, kids, spouses, pursuits in life and hobbies can all become demands and distractions of life. We must however take caution not to allow anything or anyone to surpass our relationship with God in importance or priority. Most people tend to seek first things that meet their physical needs. As long as they have enough money to cover all their needs, they’re content. But this isn’t what God’s word teaches. Don’t let the busyness of life keep you from putting God first in your life. And know that as a child of God, it is your Father’s pleasure to meet all your needs. Choose to put God first. Acknowledge that without Him, you can do nothing and invite Him to have His way in your life as you seek Him first in all that you do. This article encourages you to put God first in your life. Be blessed as you read.
The way you get things isn’t by seeking things, but by seeking God. We seek God and he adds the things. Seek him first and let him give you the things. We are supposed to have things but my friend, seek first the one thing that matters most. Seek God first and he will give you the things. That’s the best thing to do. Matthew chapter 6 says it’s by seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all things shall be added unto you. But seek first his kingdom, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
What are you seeking today? Is it a relationship, finances, or spiritual growth? Sometimes we can get our priorities out of order and begin putting things ahead of Jesus in our lives. Jesus reminds us why it’s important to seek him first. The main aim of the Lord’s teaching is to move us from a mind that seeks the things God produces to a mind that truly seeks the almighty God Himself who supplies all our needs. Jesus wants us to understand that God desires our wholehearted commitment to him (see Matthew 6:33).
We fill our minds and lives with what matters most to us, while the people of this world fill their hearts with desires that can only be fulfilled by the things of this world. “Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:4-5). So let me ask you a question. Is the Kingdom of God first in your life? In case you’ve forgotten this let me just remind you that you don’t have to seek things and neither do I. We seek God and he adds the things.
Do you want to get married? Seek God and let him give you the right person. You want to make sure you wait on the Lord and rely on him to get a good wife or husband. This is because if you get a bad one, you would wish you were single again. Are you looking for a job? Seek God and let him give you the right job. Seek God and let him do the right things in your life. All other things God has promised, therefore we must expect them. But we need to seek first the Kingdom of God. When Christians set priorities in their lives it is good, but what things are you prioritising? The Bible says, “Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth” (Colossians 3:2). When my mind is set on the things above I will “seek” God’s “kingdom and his righteousness” above all else in this life because I will get knowledge, wisdom, discretion and prudence (see Proverbs 2:1-14).
“And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:17). I love to just look at that verse over and over again. I want you to look at this. It’s so intriguing. And he himself existed before all things and in him all things consist and are held together. He’s holding everything together right now. If it weren’t for Jesus, everything would fall apart. Look at verse 18: “18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the pre-eminence” (Colossians 1:18). He is the head of his body, the church, seeing that he is the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead. Just get this last statement: That in all things He may have the pre-eminence. So that he alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place, stand first and be preeminent. That’s such a great scripture.
" The way you get things isn't by seeking things, but by seeking God. "
So, what are some of the things that could be first in our lives that probably shouldn’t be? Well, how about making money? 1 Timothy 6 says “6 Now Godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows”.
Matthew chapter 6 tells us not to take any thought about the things that we’ll eat, or the things that we’re clothed with, or any of the details about how this life is going to be supplied. In 1 Timothy chapter 6, the scripture says that we didn’t bring anything into this world and it’s certain we can carry nothing out. If you will not take thought for those things and seek first the kingdom of God, you will be rich. He will add these other things unto you. But somehow in the teaching on prosperity and the fact that we can have it, we’ve actually created a lust many times in people for things rather than for God. Many times Satan uses this to get our attention diverted from God onto the things that God provides and because of that, Satan has diverted our attention away from God, the author and the finisher of our faith.
“7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out”. We all like money and we all need money, but when you’re on your deathbed, you’re not going to ask for your bank balance. There’s not one person on this earth who is going to say bring my account and I want to know how much money I’ve got in the bank. You would want to have peace to know that you’re going to meet with Jesus at any moment. Matthew 6:19-21 says: 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Do not gather and heap up or store for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust and worm consume and destroy, and where thieves break through and steal. Here’s a scripture that I absolutely love. Do you know Revelation 18:17-19 says 17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’ 19 “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’
So, in one single hour, all the wealth that was amassed was destroyed, and everyone who relied on sea travel, including ship captains, navigators, crews, and traders, were left far behind. This is what the bible says, in a single moment all the wealth of the city is gone! In one hour in the last days, Babylon is going to completely fall. The whole world system and everything that we put all our confidence in is going to fall. The stock market is going to fall. Everything is going to fall. So, we have to realise that everything that we have, all our money, all our possessions, everything we have is going to fall completely. I’m not saying this to scare you. I’m just saying it so we get our priorities in line. I’m saying it to myself as well as to you. Everything could be gone in one hour. So, it’s important to prioritize Jesus over money, but we often struggle to do so.
How many people are working two and three jobs so they can pay for a bunch of stuff that they don’t even need? A bigger house, a more expensive car or a boat, a yacht or whatever. And yes, it’s okay to have those things if you can have them without stress in your life. But if they’re going to stress you out and you’re going to be stressed out over the debt of having to pay for those things all the time, then think again. If they’re going to stress you out so that you have to work so much that you can never spend any quality time with your family, then maybe God led you to read this article today so you could re-examine some of your priorities. Do you know what happens when we don’t look at our priorities? We can get in places and not even know how we got there. Have you ever found yourself wondering, “What happened to my life? How did I end up in this mess?” It’s easy to get caught up in the pursuit of things that seem important, only to find yourself in a difficult situation. But don’t worry, it’s never too late to make changes and move forward. Remember to seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
