Put God First

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

Matthew 6:33

George Müller ran an orphanage in Bristol, England, in the 1800s. George is best known for his faith. One morning the 300 orphans who lived in the orphanage woke up for breakfast, but there was no food and no money to buy any. George told the housemother to take the children to the dining room. When everyone was seated, George thanked God for the food and waited.

Soon there was a knock at the door. It was a baker. He said he knew the orphanage would need bread that day, so he got up early and baked lots of bread. A while later there was another knock at the door. It was the milkman. At that time milk was delivered to people using a cart and horses. The man’s cart had broken down. He knew that by the time he fixed the cart, the milk would have gone sour. So he gave the orphanage ten large cans of milk.

Today’s verse says if you seek God first and live righteously, God will give you what you need. George Müller lived that verse out. He put God first in his life, and he trusted the Lord to supply the things he needed in order to keep the children healthy and fed. God provided for their needs.

The same promise is true for you today. God wants you to seek him first. How can you do that? By reading his Word and trying to live it out in your daily life. By asking him to speak to your heart through the Bible and through your pastor’s sermon or the Sunday school lesson. By obeying God when he prompts you to do something.

When you put God first by giving some of your money in the offering, sharing a Bible verse with a friend, reaching out to someone who is lonely, cheerfully doing your chores at home, and spending time with God each day, he will bless your life. You might not have the latest game system or electronic gadgets. You might not have the latest styles or most expensive brand of gym shoes, but you’ll have God’s approval, and that is far better.

In what ways can you seek to put God first this week? How can you put him first in your schoolwork? In time spent with your family? In your chores? In your free-time activities? Write down some ideas, and choose one to do each day.