Key Takeaway
When you put God first, you can expect God to take care of you and move on your behalf. Even when you are at your lowest, you can call on God, put Him first, and He will meet your every need.
Jesus’s words in Matthew 6 are disarmingly simple: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” In a world where needs are real—rent, groceries, stability—Jesus doesn’t deny our needs; he rearranges our priorities. God’s invitation is stunning: if we will place his rule and his rightness first, he will shoulder the rest. Seeking first isn’t a lofty theory—it’s a daily way of life.
A practical starting point is the bookends of your day. In your rising, before the screen lights your face or your to-do list grabs your mind, pause and acknowledge God: “Thank you for this new day. Build what you want to build through me.” Psalm 127 reminds us that unless the Lord builds the house, our early mornings and late nights can be vain striving. In your setting, close the day with the same posture: “Thank you for your nearness. I trust you with what I can’t finish.” God not only gives sleep to those he loves; he gives to those he loves in their sleep.
Another “seek first” arena is our wealth. Scripture calls this first-fruits—returning the first and best to the Lord as an act of worship and trust. The point isn’t fundraising; it’s formation. Malachi 3 invites us to test God here and see whether he won’t open the windows of heaven. Richard’s story brings this to life: a furniture salesman prayed for a way to serve his church, took a warehouse role that freed Sundays, led with excellence, and later oversaw a top regional distribution center. He didn’t “lose” by putting God first; God multiplied his impact and provision as he reordered his loves.
Seeking first also means honoring God in your current season—not just when the sun is out, but in the low places. If you’re single and longing, married and struggling, promoted and praised, or sitting in the valley, the call is the same: put God first. Psalm 42 gives language for the valley: as the deer pants—not politely, but desperately—so my soul cries out for the living God. When your throat is dry and your heart is heavy, resist the reflex to run back to broken wells. With your last breath, call on the highest Name.
Jesus reads his mission statement from Isaiah 61: good news for the poor, binding up the brokenhearted, freedom for captives, beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. Tiara’s baptism story embodies this exchange—a tiara for ashes. When shame, poor choices, or circumstances had dragged her low, praying parents and a pursuing Savior met her in a motel room and led her home. From the lowest place she called on the highest Name—and Jesus crowned her with grace.
Seeking first won’t always change your circumstances overnight, but it will change your expectations and your footing. From sunrise to bedtime, from paycheck to generosity, from peaks to pits, the pattern holds: acknowledge God, align with his kingdom, act in trust. There is a golden bowl in heaven filled with the prayers of the saints—perhaps including prayers spoken over your name. Add your voice today: “Father, in this very place, I put you first.”
Discussion Questions
When you hear Jesus say “seek first,” what specific “seconds and thirds” tend to jump the line in your life?
How could you practically “put God first” in your rising and your setting this week? What words would you use in each moment?
Read Psalm 127. Where are you tempted to build, watch, or worry in your own strength? What would entrusting that area to God look like tomorrow?
What has been your experience (good or hard) with first-fruits giving? If you tested God in Malachi 3 this month, what step would you take?
Richard’s story shows God’s favor through humble obedience. Where might a “demotion” in the world’s eyes be an answer to prayer in yours?
Identify your present season (waiting, suffering, success, transition). What would it mean to honor God in this season rather than waiting for the next one?
Sit with Psalm 42. Where do you feel spiritually “panting”? What broken wells do you tend to run back to, and what would crying out to God look like instead?
Isaiah 61 lists Jesus’s exchanges (beauty for ashes, gladness for mourning, praise for heaviness). Which exchange do you most need right now, and why?
Whose prayers might be in that “golden bowl” for you—and for whom is God inviting you to pray persistently?
What is one concrete “seek first” commitment you will begin this week (a habit, a budget change, a reconciliation step)? How will you measure whether God is reordering your loves?
