“Put God First: A Simple Habit That Changes Everything”
Prioritizing God: Aligning Your Life with Eternal Perspective
You can do anything you want. But you can't do everything you want.
When I think about priorities, the first Bible verse that pops into my head is Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
— Matthew 6:33 NKJV
This verse is in the context of worry. Jesus is telling His followers not to worry about food, drink, or clothing, since worrying won’t solve anything. Jesus then tells His followers to, instead of worrying about all the things that God provides (look at the birds of the air, consider the lilies of the field, Matthew 6:25-34), instead we should seek first the kingdom of God and He will take care of everything else we need. (For more on Matthew 6:25-34, see my post Navigating Anxiety: Unpacking Jesus’ Message on Worry, which is part of my Join Me on the Mountainside series.)
Seeking God first cannot be something you do only on weekends. If we only make time for God on weekends, then it is clear that He is not our top priority in life. There's a quote attributed to Fredrick Matthias Alexander that I appreciate.
People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures
—Frederick Matthias Alexander
Seeking God first must become a habit in order for it to truly impact our lives. Maybe you have not had time to read your Bible this past week, and the week before that… actually, now that you stop to think about it, you did not really have your personal time with God most of the days this summer. And now school has started, and you find yourself too busy once again.
As you read this, you’re probably thinking, “But Marlon, you don’t understand how busy my days are, there's so much to do!” I have no doubt that you are busy and that your day is full of important activities, projects, work, meetings, and so on. But remember the first quote I shared at the beginning of this post.
You can do anything you want. But you can't do everything you want.
To make room for the essential things in life, other things will need to be eliminated. You will need to live a carefully curated life, where you carve out space for what matters most and remove things that matter the least. A great place ot begin is at the beginning.
How do you begin your day?
When you open your eyes in the morning, what do you do first? Are you setting yourself up for success or failure? I am a firm believer in doing the most important work as early as possible to make sure it gets done. When we neglect God early in our waking hours, it becomes exponentially more challenging to make time for God as the day progresses.
Here’s a great question to ask yourself.
"What’s the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?"
In his book “The One Thing,” Gary Keller refers to this as the focusing question. When I read his book, the answer to this question came to me clear as a bell. Prayer!
The one thing I can do, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary, is to pray. I would expand that to include seeking God first thing in the day.
Here’s the way I think about this. When I wake up and check my email, my mind begins to consider the answers, replies, meetings, issues, troubles, and appointments that await me. Now, everything else I will try to do will be done against that background or noise. Your perspective for the day has already been hijacked by someone else’s expectations of what you should do with your time. They want you to reply to them to solve their problem. Call them. Buy their product. You just handed out prime real estate of your thoughts and emotional well-being to everyone who emailed you.
What if you check social media first thing in the morning? Then you're giving dibs to trillion-dollar companies that continue to fine-tune algorithms to keep your attention. At best, it will be a waste of time, and at worst, it will radicalize your political views and opinions on social issues. I am not saying you have to delete your social media altogether, though that’s not a terrible idea; at least, don’t give it your focus first thing in the morning.
When you wake up, where you focus your attention will impact your day, including the thoughts that will fill your mind and your attitude. News and social media can lead to anxiety, anger, a sense of doom and gloom, and helplessness. When you begin your day focusing on God, you’re giving God a chance to call your attention to His plans for your day. You can be reminded that He is in control and what He calls you to do. You can be reminded that life as we know it in this sinful world is temporary and that there is more ot life than the problems we tend to worry about.
Take up your cross?
A significant amount of suffering stems from disappointments resulting from unmet expectations. We expect to be treated better, so we get offended or hurt. We expect life to be easy, and when it is difficult, we feel like giving up. We expected to have more money, so we compare ourselves with those who have more and become dissatisfied with what we have. We look at our neighbor’s grass, and it looks greener, so we become frustrated with our lawn.
Perhaps some of you have experienced this, but have you met people who lead a harder life than you, yet seem happier? Children with hardly any toys, shoes, or extra clothes who are smiling and playing, while kids with video games, plenty of clothes, shoes, and toys don’t seem as happy as often? I am sure many variables play a role in this, but I wonder how much it is impacted by their contentment with what they have and an awareness that life is indeed difficult and entails a certain amount of suffering.
When Jesus talked to His followers about following Him, He did not say it would be easy.
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. 28 Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
— Matthew 16:24-28 NKJV
Hear me out. If you wake up in the morning and remember that life is about denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following Jesus and being willing to die for Jesus, how will that change your attitude as you face challenges at work and home? The challenges may remain unchanged, but your attitude as you face them will be quite different if your focus is on Jesus and following His teachings. The way you will treat your classmates, co-workers, spouse, family members, and neighbors will be different.
It seems to me that the more I focus on myself, the more reasons I find to be frustrated and unhappy. However, when I focus on Jesus and how He can use me for His honor and glory, my day tends to be much more fulfilling. My days are not easier, but I find more energy and strength when I face my day as a follower of Jesus, with the objective of being a light in the darkness of the suffering in our world.
When my focus is on Jesus, I stop looking to others, expecting to receive from them, but rather look at others, thinking about how I can be a blessing in their lives. I realize that there is already so much suffering in our world that I want to be part of the good in the world, even if it's only within my immediate sphere of influence.
Judged by works?
Before you panic, I am not denying that we are saved by grace.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
— Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV
The bible is abundantly clear that we do not save ourselves through good behavior. (I explore salvation further in my post One Story to Rule Them All.) Though we are saved because of Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins, Jesus illustrates the judgment in an interesting way in Matthew 25.
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
— Matthew 25:31-46 NKJV
If we are not saved by works, why does Jesus list good works in the context of judgment?
We are saved by grace, not by works. However, our behavior reveals what we value and the condition of our hearts. If Jesus simply said, 'These are saved and these are lost,' it could seem like He was randomly choosing some and not others, or that He was playing favorites. Jesus knows our hearts, but we don’t know the hearts of those around us. Knowing our hearts, Jesus points to our behavior as evidence to those who do not know our hearts. Jesus points to our behavior as evidence of what is in our hearts.
This may seem like a plausible interpretation, but is there textual evidence to support it? Great question! For me, the key to correctly interpreting this text lies in the reactions of both groups.
The reaction of the saved is found in Matthew 25:37-39. They are not aware that they have done anything deserving salvation. This illustrates that they were not saved by works. If they had indeed worked for their salvation, they would have been very aware of all their good works. Their surprise in the text illustrates that they were simply living their authentic life. The good works of the saved were not performative but authentic. They were surprised that God noticed and was now rewarding them. I understand this to mean that they loved Jesus with all their heart and were open to His leading, and they did not even realize they were doing all the things that God wanted them to do.
The reaction of the lost (Matthew 25:44) is also very telling. If the lost had known that doing those good deeds would have saved them, they would have done them. I would not be surprised if there were many religious people in this group. People who thought they were doing what God asked them to do, but were doing it expecting a reward, would have helped if they had known it was Jesus needing help. However, because those in need looked like the least of these, the lost felt no desire to help them. They would have helped for a reward, but had no intrinsic desire to help someone in need.
My takeaway from Jesus’ illustration of the judgment is that we are saved by grace, God knows our hearts, but He points to our behavior as evidence of what is in our hearts. When we love God and have Jesus in our hearts, we will feel the desire to do His will, even if we are not immediately aware that this is what we are doing.
Teach me to abide
There is a song called Abide that I have been enjoying. When we read about the judgment scene described by Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46, we are tempted to want to do more good works. The question then becomes how much is enough? Do I have to do good works every day? Is there a weekly quota? If I do bad things, do I have to do more good things to make up for it? If I miss a day, can I make up for it the next day? This line of thinking is not biblical, and it is the perfect recipe for anxiety.
Returning to the song "Abide," it is based on John 15:1-8 (for a deeper dive, see "Abide in Jesus," "Hidden in My Heart," "Abiding in the Word," or "The Simple Answer"). I love a line in the song that says, “teach me to abide.”
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
— Matthew 15:1-8 NKJV
The Christian journey is not about striving and trying harder and having superhuman discipline. The Christian experience is about abiding. The Greek word is μένω (meno), which means to abide, remain, dwell, continue, tarry, or endure. Jesus calls us to not leave, not give up, not turn our backs on Him. He is the One responsible for causing us to bear fruit. Jesus causes us to do the good deeds that He designed for us.
Remember the words of Ephesians 2:8-10. We are saved by grace and we were also created for good works.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
— Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV
God does not abandon us to do our good works by our own strength; we accomplish them in Jesus, and it is all for His honor and glory. So our focus should never be on our good works but on Jesus. If I am not being kind and loving to others, I should not focus on how many more hours of community service I need to schedule, but instead I should focus on Jesus, and then follow His lead as He moves in me to be kind and loving and go out of my way to help others.
Often, I schedule and know when I will help someone in need. Other times it surprises me. I believe the key is being open and willing to be led by God and to help others because we genuinely want them to receive a blessing from God. We should help others for their benefit. Not expecting a reward. If we receive a reward, praise God! But that should not be our primary goal in doing good. And if you have done this before, you already know that most often no one will know and no one will thank you for your kindness. You do it because the other person needs help and you are able to provide it, not because they deserve it or because of what you will gain from it.
When you help, expecting a reward, you will soon quit. Most altruistic behavior goes unthanked and taken for granted. The best way to protect yourself from becoming discouraged is to do it for the benefit of others, not your own. God sees, and God rewards, but oftentimes not when you expect it and not in the way you anticipate it. Just be happy to be used by God to bless another, and live out your life.
When we abide in Christ, our lives become an act of worship. Our lives will not be easier; they might actually be more challenging. However, we should not strive to live a good life; instead, we should aim to live a meaningful one.
Takeaway
Focus on Jesus and remain in Him. He will work in you both the desire and the power to do what He is calling you to do.
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
— Philippians 2:13 New Living Translation
Choose God first every day and in every situation, and He will take care of you and everything else in your life.
