But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33 NKJV

There’s an old saying about putting the cart before the horse. Of course, a horse pulls a cart, so putting the cart in front won’t work, obviously.

We tend to do the same thing in our lives when we put anyone or anything before God. God has to come first. God doesn’t want to be in second or fifth place behind our families, our jobs, our hobbies, and all the other things we may have going on in our lives. God wants first place. When we put Him first, He will take care of everything else.

I don’t recall the exact quote, but I remember Anne Graham Lotz explaining that when we busy ourselves with taking care of God’s business or what He has called us to do, He takes good care of our business.

And when we put ourselves first, that’s a recipe for disaster. If you have ever tried living with a ‘looking out for number one’ mindset, then you know exactly what I mean. I can tell you I have been there, done that, and got the t-shirt.

I spent so many years thinking I had to look out for myself and handle things on my own. It became exhausting and frustrating. When I finally broke down and gave it all over to Him and put Him first, I was amazed at how quickly He began to fix things.

God wants us to put Him first; it’s that simple. When we do, He will bless us and take care of us. This doesn’t mean things will always go our way or that we will never have trouble. It just means that no matter what we face, He will be right there with us. We can count on Him to never leave us nor forsake us.

And if you want to be a good spouse, parent, sibling, employer, or anything else for that matter, put God first. Let Him lead the way, and you will succeed. Good husbands put God first and trust Him to lead them in their marriage. Good wives trust in God and submit to their husbands. Good parents trust in God and teach their children to trust in and obey Him.

God made us to be in close fellowship with Him. He loves us and wants us to follow Him, but He will never force His leadership on us. He wants us to choose to follow Him.

If things are not in good working order as far as your life is concerned, maybe something is as out of whack as trying to put a horse in front of the cart. Maybe you need to rearrange your priorities and put God first, just sayin’.

Have a great day!