From the Book, Rules For Life: According To Jesus

3. Place God First 

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

Matthew 6:33

This is pretty much the same thing as what God has said from the beginning: 

The First of the Ten Commandments:

“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Jesus said it elsewhere also:

One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Mark 12:28-31

When Jesus taught on the Ten Commandments, He took them to another level. He addressed the (fallen) condition of the human heart; not merely our outward actions or words. So really, Jesus went beyond the Ten Commands, as written, and went straight to the heart of sin in us—our own wicked hearts. 

Also, Notice how this command comes with a promise: Seek God above all other things (and people) and He will reward you with the things that you need. 

When Jesus said this to His disciples, He told them this:

“Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. 

Mark 10:29-30

(And sorry, this promise doesn’t apply to “losing” spouses or in-laws—just kidding.) 

Jesus wants us to act like He acted while on Earth. 

So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”

John 5:19

So if we love Jesus and the Father and live as Jesus lived, we will be making great strides in our journey to live out a life of victory over sin in our lives. We will automatically bless others. We may not get all of the shiny things that Earth has to offer, we may not wish all of our problems away, but we will care less about such things and more about heavenly things. And that’s what Jesus is looking for from us, and in us. Put God first—always, in all things.

Previous – Be Born Again | Next – Love and Serve One Another

Sections in this study:
Introduction
1: Repent
2: Be Born Again
3: Place God First
4: Love and Serve One Another
5: Live By Faith
6: Forgive Others
7: Remain in Jesus
8: Live Righteously Before Men
9: Avoid Bad Influences
10: Stay On The Narrow Path
11: Do Not Return Evil With Evil
12: Give More Than Is Demanded
13: Love Your Enemies
14: Check Your Motives
15: Pray Simply
16: Do Not Worry
17: Store Up Treasures In Heaven
18: Do Not Be Judgmental
19: Guard what is Sacred
20: Care For Those In Distress
21: Do Not Swear Oaths
22: Watch out for false prophets
23: Exercise Spiritual Power
24: Have Childlike Faith
25: Do Not Exalt Yourself
26: Settle Disputes Quickly
27: Settle Disputes Between Believers
28: Do not Oppose Brethren
29: Remember Me
30: Be Merciful
31: Make Disciples
32: Be Ready
33: Obey Jesus’ Commands
Closing Comments