Would you like to live a life of miracles?
Then put this message into practice and you will experience the supernatural of God.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 NKJV
“What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then He will give you all these other things you need.” Matthew 6:33 ERV
Every person has something that comes first in their lives. You have something that takes priority in your life, I don’t know what is it. It might be a person , it might be a place, it might be a job, it might be a pleasure, it might be the desire to make a lot of money. Every person in this room has something that takes up the first place.
How do we know it is first ? Well, based on our actions. Whatever is first in our lives really affects how we live.
Many people say that God has the first place in their lives. Many Christians will say that God is a priority, but their lives tell a different story.
Putting God first means that we keep the greatest commandment : “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’” Mark 12:30
In other words, when we love God we invest in our relationship with Him. Everything we have and everything we are is devoted to Him. We hold nothing back.
Many people when they talk about loving God, they say it with their words but their lives tell a very different story.
“We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments.” 1 John 5:2
I can say to my wife that I love her but words means nothing if I don’t show my love in practical ways. My words should match my actions. And because I love her: I clean the house , I cook , I do the shopping and I invest money in her life, I wake up earlier for her and also I make sacrifices for her. Why? Because I love her.
When it comes to God, sometimes our words don’t match what we say and what we believe.
God is saying: I want your words and your actions to match.
Whatever is a priority in your life will affect your schedule, it takes over all your other passions, it causes you to sacrifice.
The truth is: you will defend it, you will fight for it, you will claim it and you will sacrifice for it.
Think about the Olympic Games. Those who want to compete and win at the Olympic Games. How they live their lives for that one moment when they are on the stage.
They live for it, their schedules are different than the average person. They eat differently than the average person, often getting up at crazy hours and training all day long, they will quit school, they will quit their jobs because this is the most important thing in their lives.
Often times their families have to make sacrifices. During the competitions they often don’t see their families or children , because they can’t have any distractions.
They are entirely focused and their priority is getting through the event and win the golden medal.
The Apostle Paul said : I discipline my body like an athlete, because I won’t miss getting the price. 1 Co 9:26-27
I’m working for the Kingdom of God and I’m investing my time and my life not for this short life, I’m investing my life because I want to receive the crown of eternal life. I put God first because I’m focused on eternity!
This is a prize for those who put God first!
The Bible teaches that for Christians God should be first.
God should come first before your husband, wife and children.
You will be a much better person when God comes first. You will be a better spouse when God is first. And what about work ? You will be a better employee when God’s first. You will be a better business owner when God’s first. You will have a better marriage when God’s first.
What you need to understand that God is not in a competition with any other area of your life ! Because He is God! He’s either going to be first or He’s not!
He’s not competing for attention! But when God is first, everything else falls into place.
That’s why the Bible says : seek the Kingdom of God first and what’s the result of that? All other things shall be added unto you !
The Bible do not say : Seek God first in your house, or seek God on the internet ! But seek the Kingdom of God.
Everything in your life gets better when The Kingdom of God is first !
God says: “You have one job as a christian, you have one goal in your life: To seek My Kingdom first”
God should come first, God should capture our passion, our worship. God should change our schedule and our agenda.
Listen : He’s worth a change of schedule, He’s worth coming to church, He’s worth you skipping other activities for Him. For some Christians, whenever anything at all come up they take it as a better deal than going to church.
We need to rearrange our schedule to put God first.
We need to build our lives around His schedule!
It’s sad to see how most Christians give God such a small place in their lives.
The truth is : some Christians feel like they have done God a favour by going to church for an hour on Sunday. If the preacher takes longer than the usual, then complain: I’ve wasted too much time, I had more important things to do.
The Bible says that is our duty to put God first! Listen : He is our Master, He is our Lord and we are the servants. He is Lord , He’s a gracious Lord, He is a giving Lord, He is a wonderful Lord, but don’t let that make you a lazy because He is worth serving and He is worth following!
There are people here in this room where God used to be first in your life but now He is no longer. The Bible warns against those people.
“But I have this against you: You have left the love you had in the beginning.” Revelation 2:4
God said : “you are doing some of the things, but I see your heart and I’m not first anymore”
God is saying to you: repent, change your mindset!
God brought you here to this place for you to listen to this message and my job today is to make sure God is first in your life.
You need to repent and say, I’m going to seek the Kingdom of God first!
How can we put God first? I’m going to share a couple of practical ways of putting God first. I know you know some of them already but I want to remind you. Also some of you may know these things but you are not doing them.
1- Give God the first hour of your day
Rearrange your schedule to give you time to get up and spend some time with God in the morning.
If you struggle doing that, here is maybe one of reasons why: If you want make sure that you get up at certain time you have to go to bed earlier.
Many people stay in front of the TV watching shows until late at night or looking at their phones, then on the next day you’re dead tired.
We need to have a purpose. If you are going to give God the first hour of the day don’t let the TV or the Internet decide when you go to bed. You decide. Don’t let your phone decide when you go to bed.
“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.” Psalms 63:1 NKJV
Pay attention to the words: early will I seek you ! Many Christians say I will seek the Lord in the evening. But what happens by then? You spend your day running around and at the end you’re too tired to seek the Lord. What better to start off your day, before you grab your phone, before you even eat, than starting it with God? Remember God should come first, in the first hour of the day.
“The next morning Jesus woke up very early. He left the house while it was still dark and went to a place where he could be alone and pray.” Mark 1:35
To wake up earlier and pray, It was a practice of our Lord Jesus.
If Jesus needed to spend the first hour of the day with His father, do you think you don’t?
2- Give God the first day of your week
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,” Revelation 1:10 NKJV
Notice: here it talks about “The Lord’s Day” ! What day of the week was The Lord’s Day ?
In the Old Testament the Jews used to have their day of rest on Saturday in celebration and worship of the God who created everything. But in The New Testament there was a shift after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and we now have our day of rest and worship on Sunday.
What day of the week is Saturday? It’s the last! And Sunday is the first day of the week. So now we start our day with God and our week with God.
We give God the first day of the week!
Listen : Sunday is the Lord’s day ! It’s not the Lord’s hour !
It’s the Lords day. The day belongs to Him!
Sunday it’s not your personal day of resting. Sunday is not your day to sleep in. Sunday is not your day to get extra stuff done around the house.
You might do some of those things but that is not the purpose of it. It’s the Lord’s day.
You know – years ago stores wouldn’t even open on Sunday.
Every Sunday activity offered by the world is an alternative to God’s house. For the world Sunday is not the Lord’s day , it’s their day.
This is how unbelievers think, that’s my day, my day off, but for Christians that’s God’s day! They can play football because they don’t go to God’s house , they can go to the beach because they don’t go to God’s house. God’s house means nothing to them.
How sad it is when God’s people takes on this mentality of the world.
No , it is God’s day, it’s the Lord’s day and we must remember the first always belongs to God.
Verses that shows the NT church used to meet on Sundays
“Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.” Acts 20:7 NKJV
“On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.” I Corinthians 16:2 NKJV
Also Jesus rose on the first day of week.
“Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.” Mark 16:9 NKJV
Another area where God must come first is our finances.
3- Give God the first portion of your pay. (I know I’m talking about sacred ground)
I’m here to teach you the truth. I would need to be a liar and a false prophet if I didn’t teach you the truth.
The truth is – our tithes belong to the Lord.
“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.”
Leviticus 27:30 NKJV
“Honour the Lord with your possessions, And with the first fruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10 NKJV
The bibles says all the tithes belong to the Lord, it’s not ours. It’s holy to the Lord.The Bible also says for us to bring the first fruits , the first portion.
The first fruit talk about priority, the first you have to give, it is not for anyone but God. God says put me first and your barns will be filled with plenty, put me first and your vats will overflow with new wine.
Giving is simply a test of where is your heart ! Jesus said : “Where our treasure is, there our heart is also” Matthew 6:21
Our giving and investment of our time in the Kingdom of God and in His House is always a reflection of where we are at in our relationship with Him.
This is why Gods asks us to put Him first by giving Him the first portion. When I don’t give Him the first portion I’m lowering God from the first place.
I am teaching you this because I learned this principle years ago, I’ve been practicing it and it’s works! When you give God the first part you are going to see miracles!
4- Put God first in your heart!
“My son, give me your heart, And let your eyes observe my ways.”
Proverbs 23:26 NKJV
God is saying to you : My son, my daughter give me your heart !
Are you living in happy submission to the Lord today?
Do you see it as a privilege to come to church?
Do you see it as a privilege to be able to offer something to the Lord?
Do you see it as a privilege to spend time with God?
God doesn’t want part of your life, He is asking you today, give Me your heart.
Would you like to give to God your heart today ?
God is saying: my child give me your heart because in your heart is your dreams, your thoughts, your emotions, your desires. Your heart should be the throne of my life. Jesus died at the cross to save you ! He died for you so you could live. But not for you to live for yourself, He died and bought you with His blood for you to live for Him.
Put God first and everything else will fall into place !
May The Lord bless and keep you.