After years and years of moving, my dream of buying a home and settling down in one place was finally fulfilled. But a year and a half later, my family and I would unexpectedly have to give it all up.
Within this heart wrenching process, I learned how to put God first in my life. It isn’t just by going to church on Sundays or donating to charities—though these are important to do—it is about your heart.
Your heart shows what you value in this life. It shows others who you follow and most importantly shows Jesus that you love him.
Putting Jesus first is loving him with your whole heart… over everything else. This is following the greatest commandment. The Bible shows you how to do this and the Holy Spirit will help you live it out.
Jesus is all we need. He is our everything and putting him first, above it all, is always worth it. He is worthy of it all. If you have him, you have it all.
What Does It Mean to Put God First?
If you want to know how to put Jesus first in your life, it means treasuring him in your heart.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21, NIV)
What your heart treasures is what you will chase after. How to put God first is to get your heart right by treasuring God above everything. This is by daily choosing him, despite what you want.
Reading the Bible will help you to do this, as it will draw you closer to God and renew your mind in truth. You’ll fall more in love with him as you learn more about who he is, and treasure him above all else.
But you have to keep choosing him.
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God loves you so much, as he showed you on the cross. Prioritize God always and you will have the best life. You will never regret it.
The blessings of putting God first are so vast in this life, and they extend into eternity with him. Therefore, we need to strive to prioritize him daily, no matter the cost.
Bible Characters Who Put God First
You can see what it looks like to put God first by studying those in the Bible who did this, most importantly Jesus. When Jesus came to earth as a man, he put the Father first, providing the best example of how to do this.
Jesus lived a life devoted to God and always sought to do his will. You can read about his life in the gospels to learn how to put God first in your life. Strive to be like Christ.
A list of other Bible characters who put God first should include Abraham. Abraham was faithful to God and was willing to do what God wanted him to do, despite the cost. We see this when he was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac.
“And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.” (Genesis 22:6, ESV)
He was willing to give up everything for God, even the thing he wanted the most: his child.
Another Bible character who decided to keep God first is Stephen. He put Christ first by sharing the gospel, even to death.
“While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:59-60, NIV)
These examples can encourage you to know how to put Christ first. It is challenging, but you can do it and it’s the best way to live.
How to Put God First in Your Life
It is a daily, ongoing process to keep God first in your life. The more you prioritize God, the less you will care what others think; you’ll draw closer to Christ instead.
The losses can still feel so great, but nothing is better than Jesus. Living for him is a life worth living. He is what matters.
Below, you will find three ways to always put God first in your life. It’s one day and one choice at a time and you can do this by yielding to the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus hasn’t asked us to do things that he won’t equip us to do.
1. Don’t Store Up Earthly Things
Making God a priority in your life starts with examining your heart to see what possessions you are storing up.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19, NIV)
It is important to think about this and examine your life to see what possessions you are storing up, as they are having a hold on you.
It could be collecting nice clothes, jewelry, cars, or anything on this earth. We shouldn’t just be collecting “stuff” as our goal in this life. These things are gifts from the Lord but shouldn’t be our treasure, as they are temporary.
We shouldn’t value things over God, as they waste away and get stolen. He is what matters and should come first.
He will provide all you need. You should hold things loosely so you can love others by blessing them when they are in need and trust God to always provide for you.
Place God first in your life and let nothing in this world have a hold on you. Invest in what matters.
How to put God first is by looking within your heart and seeing what earthly possessions you are storing up. Choose to change by focusing on Christ instead. Treasure him over all earthly items.
2. Go After Treasures in Heaven
Instead of storing up things on this earth, you need to store up treasures in heaven.
“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:20, NIV)
Go after rewards that will be given to you in eternity with Christ that last forever. Live a life that will earn you these things. They are the ones that matter.
When you put Jesus first, you will gain these things. The things of this world will be seen as the least important and most meaningless to pursue.
If you treasure God in your heart, then your actions will follow. To do this daily, you have to choose to trust him in it all, have faith, do what his word says in the Bible, pray about all things, deny yourself, depend on him, be willing to hold all things on earth loosely, and keep saying yes to what he wants you to do.
3. Decide to Serve God Alone
These two points are concluded in Matthew 6:24.
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24, NIV)
You have to choose between letting things or God be what governs your life. It can’t be both. You have to treasure one in your heart over the other and that should be God.
If you go after things of this world, you are living a life against God for yourself. But if you choose to treasure God over them, you will do what he wants you to do—which is being of service to people.
Money is just the means by which we pay our rent, buy food, etc. It should not have a hold on us. It is a means to bless others and it’s from God. It should be used as he calls you to. You shouldn’t be enslaved to it.
You can’t serve both masters. It’s either you put God first or seek things of this world.
We all have this choice to make. How to put God first in your life is to choose him always in your heart—to serve him no matter what. Make this choice daily in big and small ways and don’t compromise.
How to put God first in your life includes not storing up earthly things, going after treasures in heaven and deciding completely to serve God alone. The consequence of not putting God first is that you don’t live a meaningful life that leads to eternal gains.
You can put Christ first with the help of the Holy Spirit. Allow him to show you what you are pursuing in your heart over him and choose to serve God alone by seeking after Godly things.
Osborne, Grant R. Matthew: Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Edited by Clinton E. Arnold. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2010.
2 Responses
Good morning. Have a blessed day. Thank you very much for this wonderful teaching. It inspired me greatly. Keep up the good work. Stay blessed 🙏.
Hi, Alfred.
Thank you so much for your encouragement. It really means so much to me. To God be all the glory!
I’m so glad that this inspired you.
Blessings to you, also!