FIRST THINGS FIRST

In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus Christ teaches the people about priorities. He makes them know that the most important thing in life is to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. A priority refers to a principal thing – the most important thing. Seeking God should be number one on our To-do list always, because it opens the way for us to receive all things we desire in our lives.

Many people end up throwing away their salvation because they fail to do the first things first. They seek to make themselves prosperous and wealthy, forgetting that it is God who gives the power to make wealth. These people misinterpret their salvation in Christ. They think it is a one-time thing but Christianity is a lifelong journey on this earth. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus says that not everyone who calls Him Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of God but he who does the will of His Father in Heaven. It is not only about accepting Jesus but also about fulfilling His will, which is for us to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness first.

Let’s take a look at Haggai 1:1-11.

In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built. Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus says the LORD of hosts; consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earns wages earns wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus says the LORD of hosts; consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, says the LORD. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? Says the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground brings forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands.

In the above scripture, God tells the people to consider their ways. That was so because the people had neglected the building of the temple of God and were going about building their own houses. The people had no homes to live in, barely made enough money to take care of their families but God wanted them to stop building shelter for themselves and build a temple for Him where He will be glorified. Although God's dwelling is not in man-made building He still wanted his people to prioritize building a temple for Him than houses for themselves. He wanted them to make Him their priority. 

The people were thinking about what they will eat, where they will live and how they were going to survive but God said to them that the reason for their uncomfortable lives was that they were neglecting Him. Seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first is key to living a life without worry for material possessions. God told the people that the Heavens had withheld its dew and the earth had withheld its fruits because they were not seeking to please Him first. They wanted to secure their lives by making themselves rich and prosperous, that is, seeking their own glory. Proverbs 25:27 puts this situation in the limelight: "...For men to search their own glory is not glory." Making God first is vital in our Christian lives. It is imperative for us to seek God first that we may gain all things in life.

The church of Ephesus was also a culprit to this. (Read Rev. 2:1-7) They had forgotten their first love. They had put God aside and were going about their own business. They did work and labor for God but He was not their priority and this made them incomplete before Christ. Putting our work, education, wealth and success endeavors before God risks our eternal joy. Jesus told the church of Ephesus to repent and do their first works which is seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Our salvation does not end when we accept and receive Jesus Christ. We must follow up by seeking His Kingdom and righteousness first before all other things in this earthly life.

Christians need to revisit their TO-DO lists and place seeking God in the number one stop every day for the rest of their lives. This is the key to receiving all things we desire in life.

BONUS: Priorities will determine your quality of life and dictate your actions and behavior. Knowing what to do at a particular time is the most important thing in life.

 Recommended Resources

12 Problems with the Church in Africa

The Gospel according to the Youth

The 95 Thesis of Martin Luther 

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 By Samuel Entsua ©2014-2015 Christ for Humanity Outreach 

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