Daily Devo

But First...

By: Kelly Russell

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

But seek first his kingdom… Matthew 6:33

“Oh, wait, I just need to do this one thing before…” This phrase has been all too familiar to me. I like to get things done. So often, this “but first” mindset has derailed me from intimacy with God and fellowship with people. This path is a distraction and deception from the enemy to blur your view of eternal things.

Life can be busy. Still, we must choose the order of our day. If we follow the example of Jesus, we see the “But first…” modeled over and over. Before the sunrise, He sought the Father. Before a meal, He thanked the Father. Before a trial, He prayed to the Father. Then, He went about His business.

So, before we get caught up with our own agendas and timelines, let’s learn to take note of our heart’s cry for attention. There is no work more important than reconciling ourselves to the Lord every day. This is an accounting term, that we would analyze our motivations to be sure they line up with Scripture. And if they don’t, the Holy Spirit reveals the discrepancies, helping us to get spiritually “balanced” through character adjustments.

Perhaps you’ve been delaying forgiveness or even obedience. Decide now — “I will make that call” or “I will take that step of faith.” Though you may have been the one hurt, the desire to prove we are right often indicates there is an area of disobedience we need to address. The Bible says that if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out, and if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. For us, it could mean that if online searching causes us to sin, throw out the equipment, or if that money in your wallet causes you to sin, burn it in the fire. God doesn’t tolerate sin and deals with it as He needs to. All He wants is to perfect holiness in us, so we can re-present Him to the world around us.

Part of the Good News is that walking in the Light dispels the darkness of our motives. When we make Jesus the focus, everything else flows from His perpetual well of life. The next time you want to squeeze in more things before inviting the Lord, shift your “But first…” toward God. If we want God’s best, we must seek Him first.

Read: Matthew 5, Mark 6:31, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, Colossians 1:19-22, Hebrews 13:21, 1 John 2:15-17, Revelation 2:5