Things can turn around for the better at any level, even after a long period of going the wrong direction. But the first move in the process is critical.

4 min read

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

-Jesus, Matthew 6:33

The concept of sequence is fascinating. Think about it. In games like Chess, Checkers, and even the little Tricky Triangle game they have at Cracker Barrel, your first move is your setup move, either for success or failure.

In just about every realm, whether it is engineering, medicine, math, or computer science, sequence matters. Good grief, even in Tic-tac-toe, it is typically the person who makes the first move that wins.

First is king.

This must be why we notice the emphasis on sequence in Scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, the principle of putting and keeping first things first is a biggie.

I did a quick search of the word first in the Bible and found that the word comes up 502 times. That’s quite a lot. By comparison, the word pray only appears 316 times.

To put it simply, sequence is important.

Your first move is your setup move, either for success or failure.

In these trying days, many Christians are longing and praying for spiritual renewal. Realizing how broken and twisted our world has become, we wonder, is recovery still a possibility? We desire it deeply, but it feels like such a longshot. Maybe we should we just just bide our time ’til Jesus returns?

A long time ago in a faraway kingdom

When Hezekiah became king over Judah, the place was an absolute wreck. But rather than concede defeat, Hezekiah proceeded to lead his nation in a beautiful process of restoration, from the inside out. There was a lot of exterior re-construction involved, but it was the inward reconstruction that Hezekiah focused on first. His very first move was to put the worship of God back in its rightful place.

The Bible says,

In the very first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah reopened the doors of the Temple of the LORD and repaired them. (2 Chronicles 29:3)

Hezekiah had a good sense of where to start in the daunting process of rebuilding. He put God first. He led the people to seek God above all and because he did, everything else would fall into place. It was a glorious season of revitalization.

The rule of first still applies

When Jesus was with a group of people who were anxious about how they were going to make ends meet, Jesus placed the rule of first in front of them. He said,

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

In other words, if we will take care of the principle of putting God first, He will take care of the promise. With everything – our money and time, our relationships, our careers – if we will trust God and do all within our power to make sure he is our number One, He will always take care of the rest.

What are your big rocks?

A business teacher was explaining the importance of sequence and priority to her students. To illustrate, she pulled out a large container and then carefully placed several fist-sized rocks in it. She asked, “Is the container full?” The class said, “Yes, it’s full.” She then pulled out a jar of smaller stones and poured them into the container, shaking it so the stones could fill the empty spaces. Again she asked, “Is the container full?” and they said “Yes, it’s full.”

The teacher then pulled out a bag of sand and emptied it into the container and asked them, “Is the container full?” Finally catching on, the students quietly shook their heads as if to say “No.” As the students watched intently, the wise teacher then pulled out a pitcher of water and emptied it into the container. She asked them, “What is the lesson here?” One of them spoke up and said, “No matter how full your life is, you can always cram in more!” and everyone laughed. “No,” she said, “the lesson is this: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you will never get them in at all.”

As we make our first move today, may it be a move toward Jesus. He is supremely worthy of our first and best. Then we can expect that our subsequent moves will fall into place and the outcome will be for our good and for God’s glory.

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.