Louie Giglio - Put God First
This new collection of messages that we’re heading into is called «Seek First,» and those are the words of Jesus, obviously from the most famous sermon of all time, the Sermon on the Mount. In it, He was talking about how we get so distracted by seeking all these things in life. Jesus comes down to verse 33 and says, «But seek first.» That’s where we are today—seek first. There are going to be a lot of things on your agenda for this year, but Jesus is saying, «Seek first.» There may be other things that God wants you to do, other things He wants you to seek and aim for, and strive for and accomplish this year, but He said, «Seek first.» Seek first His kingdom and seek first His righteousness. So, above all else that you do on the journey you’re on, seek first the kingdom of God.
Last week, we put that in personal terms—not just seeking the kingdom but seeking the King, because our kingdom is predicated on King Jesus. It’s possible to be about things in the kingdom and to miss the King of the kingdom. But Jesus, who is the King, is saying to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Here’s the payoff—and it’s not necessarily that we’re looking for a payoff, but just that God always wants to give us a payoff when we get things in the right order. Seek first the kingdom of God, seek first His righteousness, and all these things—the things that the world is striving for and that we’re all stressed about—will be given to you as well.
Today’s talk is called «Put God First,» a message born out of the reality that many of us experience. I was at the celebration service for a dear friend of ours who died in his early 40s, and being in that funeral home setting filled with people from different walks of life due to the particular role this person served in made me reflect on the reality of life. We have a limited number of days on this planet, and we must choose what will take the preeminent place in our lives. In other words, what motto or mantra will you live by? The world is full of them. Every few years, we get a new one. A few years ago, the universal mantra on the planet was «YOLO.» Isn’t it nice when it’s simplified to something like «YOLO»? What does it mean? You only live once. So come on, let’s stay out all night; let’s go on a whim! Who cares if we thought it out? You only live once; let’s go for it!
It’s interesting how «YOLO» became an excuse for doing things we probably shouldn’t have done. But you can flip «YOLO» around and turn it into a better mantra for life. For a season, we saw «Keep Calm and Carry On» on a lot of coffee mugs and t-shirts. It’s not a bad mantra—just keep calm and carry on. A few decades back, it was «Carpe Diem,» which means seize the day. A lot of people liked that one, especially the drivers—seize the day! There was Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders who famously said, «Just win, baby!» And many are still wearing «WWJD"—what would Jesus do? That’s a great mantra! There was even one for a season called «Think Positive» that sounds great. And there was «One Day at a Time,» which is a good mantra—because you can’t live two days at a time anyway.
Jesus said in the same sermon, «Don’t worry about tomorrow. It has enough problems of its own. Trust me for what I’m going to do today.» Seek first the kingdom of God right here, right now, and seek first His righteousness. Today, all of these things will be added to you. Don’t worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will start all over again. I would like to propose a mantra that could gain traction: I can see «PGF» on a bracelet right now—put God first. What if in this collection of messages, «Seek First,» we just boiled it down to the simplicity and the reality of this phrase: put God first? What would that look like? Well, it would begin, number one, with each of us putting God first in our estimation of self.
In other words, when you are deciding who you are and what your life is supposed to be about, what if we all put God first? Colossians 1:16—a verse that will be in about every seventh message of mine for the rest of my life—says this: «For by Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities—all things.» Can you say that with me? All things were created by Jesus and for Jesus. So when I’m taking stock of who I am, I want to put God first. When I’m taking stock of why I am, I’m going to put God first.
Romans 11 states it a little differently. Paul unpacks some massive theological truths, and at the end of chapter 11, he stops and has a benediction, a word of praise. In verse 33, he says, «Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and His paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been His counselor? Who has ever given to God that God should repay him? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.» In other words, for me to put God first in my estimation of self is to understand that I was created on purpose and for a purpose. In other words, to put God first is to realize that my life is a gift from God, and everything I am and everything I have is by the grace of God.
I want to put God first. It seems so obvious, like the most basic of truths, but the reality is that left to ourselves, we will not put God first. That’s why when Moses met with God, and God was giving a framework for how to lead the people ultimately in the Ten Commandments, just showing us that we can’t do it on our own and preparing a way for someone who could do it in our place, the first commandment of the Ten Commandments was, «Thou shalt have no other gods before me.» You’d think, «Who would put a god before the creator of the universe?» Who would put a god before the one who actually created me? Then you realize that left to ourselves and in our own sinful thinking, we are prone to put a thousand things in front of God. What He’s saying to you today is not because He needs to improve His position or elevate His stock value, but so that He can put you in a better position and elevate your life’s value. He’s saying, «Put God first.» Without God’s mercy, I wouldn’t be standing here.
That’s why I’m going to put God first. I’m putting God first because my breath is on loan from heaven. My gifts are truly that—they are gifts given to me by my Maker. That’s why I’m going to put God first. I am created; therefore, I have the ability to create. In everything I have the ability to create, I’m going to put God first. I might have a few things in life that orbit around me. Maybe you have a company orbiting around you, or maybe your family is somehow orbiting around you, or perhaps you have an assistant orbiting around you. Maybe big decisions or the stock market, for all I know, orbit around you. Perhaps you’re famous, and you have a following that orbits around you. But your mantra for your life might be, «A few things orbit around me, but I orbit around the Almighty.» Everything I am and everything I have is by the grace of God; therefore, in everything I do, I’m going to put God first.
It sounds simple, doesn’t it? But many of us have made it all the way to this gathering today without even stopping intentionally and personally to say, «God, on this Sunday, I choose to put You first.» There are always people who are hit on the other side of the equation. Your struggle isn’t that you’re all that or that you’re a self-made woman, or that you accomplished all of this by yourself, or that you’re the one who brought about these great results. You’re tipping over to the other side, and sometimes the enemy sneaks in. I would encourage you, if you’re over here not thinking that you’re worth God’s love and affection, today I want to encourage you to put God first.
If you’re a person today who says that you’re not loved, I want to remind you that God has loved you with an everlasting love, and I want to encourage you to get into second place and to put God in first place—not the other way around. Don’t try to put yourself in first place and then put God into second place because God has loved you since before you were born, before you knew who He was, before you did good or bad, before you needed to make an adjustment, and before you knew how holy He was. Before you took one step to love God, He already loved you. He fashioned you in His mind, created you with great imagination, and destined you for greatness in life. Before you came out of the womb, He had already declared, «I love you.» He loves you unconditionally today; even if you don’t like Him today, He’s still in love with you. There’s not a person within the sound of this message today who isn’t loved by Almighty God.
To say, «I’m not loved by God,» means you need to put God first today in your estimation of yourself. «I’ve always been rejected. I’ve always been forsaken. I’ve always been left behind.» Not by God, you haven’t! He is still here. He is still with you. He is still committed to His purpose and plan for you. Put God first. Once I got into this message this week, I felt inspired by the pastor at the funeral we attended on Friday. I knew what I wanted to preach. I was looking for a quote and searched «put God first,» and what came up was just a litany of versions of Denzel Washington’s commencement speech from the spring of 2015. It’s only eight minutes long, and the first two minutes are, «Put God first.» In it, he talks about how we, at times, haven’t stayed with God but that at all times, God has stayed with us.
A lot of people in here today would say, «I’m unseen. I’m unnoticed. I’m unrecognized. I don’t have any value.» Put God first! He sees you. He valued you enough to give His life for you. You might say, «But Louie, I don’t even like myself. I don’t even love myself. I don’t even think I have any worth. My self-worth is in the tank.» I’m saying, «That may be how you feel today, and there might have been circumstances to corroborate that.» But I would encourage you today to ask God, by the grace of Almighty God, to help you put God first so that when you put God first, you will realize you are loved, and then you can do the greatest thing Jesus asked you to do, which is to love God with all your heart, your soul, your mind, and your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself.
God, when He is first, will help you agree with Him and love yourself in such a radical way that you can make a difference in the way that you love your neighbor, as you live out a life of loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. I want to encourage us today. You just get one life, but it’s up to you who will be preeminent in your life, and I want to encourage you, in your estimation of self, to put God first. In other words, in the way you think about value, define and direct your life. Put God first.
If A is in place, then a lot of other dominoes can fall. This is the power of priority and the power of seeking first the kingdom of God. The first domino that’s going to fall is that God wants to encourage you to put God first in your plans and endeavors. Whatever is on your to-do list, most of us who grew up in church have memorized these verses from Proverbs 3, but they’re great wisdom for everyone today. If you don’t have an on-ramp to faith today, just take the on-ramp of Proverbs, because it’s wisdom that will help you live a better life.
Proverbs 3:5 says, «Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.» In other words, in whatever your endeavors are to seek first the kingdom of God and the King of that kingdom, just means in all your plans, acknowledge God. Don’t make all your plans and then, if they succeed, say, «Hey, it worked out!» and if they fail, say, «Oh, we should have consulted God.» No! Acknowledge God in all your ways.
What would that look like? You’re on your way to meet a new client—what are you doing? «Hey, it’s on Zoom, so I’ve got to get presentable from the waist up, or it’s out of coffee, so I have to get my car and get there, or I’ve got to get my spiel or my pitch together.» Or maybe I’ve got to consult somebody because there’s a lot of pressure on this moment. I’ve got to close this deal; I need to make the people up there happy; I’ve got to work this out; I hope they like me; I’ve got to be «on.»
All these thoughts go through your mind, but has there been a thought that went through your mind on the way to meet that new client? «God, before any of that happens, I just want to put You first. Before I get there, before the Zoom starts, before we have the coffee, the lunch, the meeting, the introduction—God, I just need You to know today, I do want to be likable, but I’m more concerned about You accomplishing Your will than me being liked. I do want to close the deal, but I’m more concerned about You getting glory in all this, about You being seen and about You helping me serve this person and contribute to their well-being. God, I want to put You first in this new client meeting today. I want to give it to You, acknowledge You, recognize You, and I want to ask You to do whatever You want to do in this meeting right now. Put God first!»
I guarantee you that client meeting is going to be different if you put God first. You’re on your way to showcase a new property—put God first. You’re starting a new venture—put God first. When you arrive at your workplace—put God first. When you clock in—put God first. When you sit down at your desk—put God first. Before you open your inbox—put God first. «God, I’m going to spend X, Y, Z amount of time today in this place doing this thing with this team for this purpose, but before we do any of that today, I want to put You first right here in all my endeavors. I want to take You at Your word. I want to acknowledge You in all my ways, and I’m going to believe that if I acknowledge You in all my ways, You are going to make my paths straight.»
Some of you are on crooked paths and you’re like, «I don’t know how I got on this crooked path.» The writer of Proverbs says, «I know how you got on the crooked path. You didn’t start with God; you didn’t put God first; you put yourself first. You thought you’d work it out; you listened to your friend; you just went with the flow. Now you’re on this crooked path, and now you’ve got to reintegrate God into the equation.» What God is saying is, «Before you start on the path, put God first.»
If you’re expanding your business, put God first. If you’re expanding your family this year, put God first. If you’re heading back to get that degree, put God first. If you’re moving to a new city, put God first. If you were elevated to a new role, or did not get the new role—which, in a way, was a gift because it showed you that you need improvement—put God first. If you’re reaching for a prize, is anybody reaching for a prize at Passion City Church this year? Hello! No? Are we all lowly, humbly, and not wanting any prizes? No! God put in you the desire to be great at something.
Anyone want to be great at something this year? Anyone want to win a trophy this year? Anyone want a prize this year? We’re not supposed to have prizes? No, it says, «Run the race in such a way as to win!» Spiritually and in what God has called you to do, we do not want an average church because God doesn’t want an average kingdom, and He’s not an average King. We don’t want mediocre; we want people who say, «I want to be the best I can be,» which requires that a few people don’t get the promotion and realize, «Hello! I have room to grow.» I was hoping for an amen, but I’m not surprised I didn’t get one because when we don’t get the promotion, we go, «What were you all thinking?» instead of saying, «You know what? I’m not a thousand out of a thousand yet, so I’m going to take this as an opportunity to grow, get better, get smarter, get faster, and give God more glory in the ways that God has gifted me.»
Maybe they didn’t say it in the nicest way or they did say it in a nice way. I’m not going to worry about them; I’m going to worry about me because none of us are perfect yet, and we all have room to grow. I’m going to say, «You know what? God, I’ve got room to grow, and I just realized that because I didn’t get the thing.» Instead of being bitter about not getting the thing, I’m going to take joy in the fact that I can get better, and I want to acknowledge You in my getting better.
«I’ve got to get better this year, and I want to acknowledge my God at the beginning of getting better.» I do want a prize. I do want to win a trophy. I do want the payday. But at the end of the day, when I get the prize, and I get the trophy, and I get the payday, I’m going to tell everybody, «There it is, by the grace of God, that I have what I have and that I am who I am because I put God first.»
Another domino falls over, and that’s putting God first in your fears. There are a lot of these, so some of them may spill over into next week. Do you realize—and this was an eye-opener for me—that when I let anything or anybody, any circumstance dominate my life in fear, it is just a newsflash to me that I did not put God first? Wow, that’s real, isn’t it? If I’m paralyzed by fear, guess what? Somebody or something other than God is first. I’ve got to regroup and get back around the words of Jesus. I’ve got to seek first and put God first in my life.
1 Peter 5, among other texts that we know so well, says it this way, and this is really the big idea: Peter says in verse 6, «Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.» Why? Because the lines right above it say, «God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.» Do you realize that when you recognize that everything you have is a gift from God, it creates humility in your heart? It gives you an attitude and a posture of humility. He says, «Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand that He may lift you up in due time.»
Some of us are so tired because we’ve been trying to lift ourselves up, and God is in the business of lifting you up. God is waiting for you to lower yourself and put God first so that then God can go to work in your life and elevate you because He knows when He elevates you, the world will hear about a person who put God first.
Then, look how it works: «Cast all of your anxiety,"—some translations say «cares"—"on Him because He cares for you.» When the odds are stacked and there’s a reason to fear, the main thing that can give us the power to change the story is by putting God first. You say, «Well, how does that work?» I’ll show you how it worked in the life of David when he walked into the Valley of Elah.
There was a legitimate concern named Goliath—a nine-foot-tall, armor-clad giant warrior with a track record of crushing people. But David also had a track record, and his track record was of the faithfulness of his God. But here’s the thing that burned inside his heart: «You are defying our God. You are insulting our God, and that’s not going to work here.» So, «I’m pretty good with this sling, and I’ve got five stones in my hand, and I’m going to shut you up right now because God’s going to get the glory in this valley today.»
David is saying, in effect, «I may be trembling a little bit; I may be a little bit nervous; maybe I should be afraid, but I’m going to put God first in this moment.» I want to encourage you to not start with, «Oh my goodness, look at the situation! Oh my goodness, we should be afraid!» But to start with God and say, «Because of God, we don’t have anything to fear.» That’s why there are hundreds of verses in the Bible saying «Fear not. Do not be afraid.» In fact, a lot of people say there’s one for every day of the year. Why? Because God knew left to ourselves, we would put something else in front of God, and as a result, we would be anxious and afraid. And He’s saying, «Put God first.»
The other domino falls right behind it. It changes our expectation. So lastly, today, I want to encourage you to put God first in your expectations. In other words, what do you think is going to happen in your life this year? If you’re paying attention to the culture, whatever it is, it isn’t going to be good. There are a hundred different scenarios, and they’re all bad, and therefore you should be afraid, and you should be anxious, and you should be concerned. But God is saying, «No, put Me first in your expectations.»
In other words, put Me first in your sense of the outcomes you believe you’re going to see in your life this year. That does not mean that if you put God first, you won’t have any problems or troubles in your life this year. It just means that if you do have problems and troubles in your life this year, God will override them, and He will supersede them, and He will use them in His plan for His glory and your good. You will see the salvation of God in the land of the living because your expectation is that God is going to come through!
2 Corinthians 5:7 says, «For we live by faith, not by sight.» If there’s ever a time that the people of God need to wake up to the reality of God and start living as if we have a God who we’ve put first in our lives, it is now. So that people can see the difference between people who read headlines and people who see a King on a throne; between people who are dealing with earthly information and people who are dealing with spiritual revelation; and people who say, «You know what? I read the article, but I’m walking by faith, not by sight.»
That doesn’t mean I don’t want to know the information; it doesn’t mean I don’t want to be up to speed; it doesn’t mean I don’t even respect the science. It just means I believe in God, and God is in charge of my life. In my expectations this year, I’m going to put God first. Things may be confusing, but I’m not going to put that first; I’m going to put God first. God is not confused. Things may be hard; they are hard, but God is able.
I don’t know, but my God sees the beginning from the end. My problems are real, but I’ll tell you something else that’s real: the empty tomb is real; the risen Jesus is real; the Holy Spirit is real; the power of God is real; the family of God is real—yes, it is real! But there’s something else that’s real, so keep it real, bro. That’s always a check on your expectation—God is in control. Just checking you down for a moment, keep it real, bro. Let’s keep it real!
He was dead, but now He’s alive. He wasn’t breathing, but now He is breathing. The tomb was open that day, and the tomb is open today. He came out of the grave that day, and He’s still out of the grave. The power of sin and death in hell was broken that day—it is broken today. That is real! So, make sure your story is that you put God first in your expectations so that when your challenges are big, you know they’re not bigger than your God.
When you feel like you’re here without any help, you’ll know, «No, no, no! My Father in heaven owns the universe.» My expectation is that God is going to come through. Maybe not on my timetable—most likely not on my timetable; most likely He didn’t get my memo—but He’s on a throne and He’s got a plan.
I love this story in 2 Chronicles 20. We’ve talked about it so much as a house and as a people of faith. King Jehoshaphat is just trying to rule—and that’s not easy. Be the king of Israel, and he gets word—real word, real truth—that three armies have joined forces and are on the way. This is normally how life goes. We say it all the time: if it’s not one thing, it’s another, and it’s usually another and another. Things seem like they come in clumps. Seasons seem to crash in from multiple angles.
Somehow in our lives, that pattern is one we all share. We all have the same testimony. I don’t know why it is, but sometimes it seems like it’s a little bit smoother sailing and then all of a sudden, it’s this and right on top of that was that, and then right on top of that was that. That’s Jehoshaphat: «We’ve got three armies. They’ve conspired together; they don’t even like each other, but they’ve agreed to come against you and the people of God.»
Do you know what Jehoshaphat said in 2 Chronicles 20? It says about him that first he inquired of the Lord. In his expectations, he put God first. He didn’t do reconnaissance on the three armies; he didn’t get a committee together to go check things out; he didn’t Google what you do when three armies come; he inquired of the Lord. He called the people together and said, «We’re going to inquire of God together.»
He prayed to heaven; he remembered the faithfulness of God; he talked about the reality of the problem, but then he summarized with this incredibly powerful statement: «God, we don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You.» I wonder if we could just be humble enough to say that today. Say, «You know what? I’m the king; I’m supposed to make the decisions. I’m in charge; I’m supposed to lead the pack; I’m supposed to know what to do, but I don’t know what to do.» That’s not where the period goes—there’s a comma there. The rest of my thinking goes this way: «But my eyes are on You.»
In other words, I’m expecting God. Just like that prophet Jehaziel stood up and said, «I have a word from God,» and Jehoshaphat says, «The floor is yours!» An angel steps in and says, «Hey, I’ve got a word from the King Almighty. This is a word from God: You’re not going to have to fight this battle. God is going to fight this battle for you. Get up, go out, meet them tomorrow, and take up your positions. Stand and see the salvation of God.»
Expectation shifts. Jehoshaphat worships God. He’s in awe of God in response. He says, «Okay, then we’re going to do that,» and he gets a plan together. The next few lines say that he puts the choir out in front of the army early the next morning. I love it! It’s every worship team member’s favorite day. So out in front of the army comes the choir, singing, «Give thanks to the Lord; His love endures forever.» Oh, that’s a scary song!
As they come over the hill, the three armies get confused, and they wipe each other out. Jehoshaphat and the people of Israel experience the victory of God, and the news spreads everywhere: «This God—this God is God!»
Don’t you love the practicality of that? I’ve always loved this text because first, he inquired of the Lord. Put God first in your expectations, in your fears, in your endeavors, in your plans, and in your estimation of who you are and what you’re about on planet Earth. Put God first!
So when you get three armies coming, seek the Lord. If you have a new opportunity, seek the Lord. If there’s something that’s causing you to be afraid or anxious, seek the Lord. First, he thought God. But do you know what he did second? This is my favorite part. He got up; he got ready; he went out; he took his position; he stood on his corner, and he was attuned to what God was going to do next.
That’s what God is saying to each one of us today in 2022: you’re going to get the calls; you’re going to have opportunities to be afraid. There’s going to be a moment when you’re not going to be sure how things are going to work out. Here’s what I want you to do: I want you to inquire of God. God’s going to bring you a word; He’s going to bring you a word of encouragement, a word of hope, a word of belief in Him. But once He does that, here’s what you need to do: You’ve got to get up; you’ve got to take a shower; you’ve got to get dressed; you’ve got to put some clothes on; you’ve got to get ready; you’ve got to go out; you’ve got to stand in your place, take your position, and tune your heart to what God is going to do next, knowing that the battle is the Lord’s.
Put God first in your expectations this year. You say, «Louie, it all sounds good.» Listen, God just loves us today. He doesn’t need more likes on His Instagram posts to feel good about Himself. He’s trying to help you experience the very best life. We did a massive event recently—truly unprecedented in the season we’ve been in and out of, you know, with some of these big events we’ve canceled. This one we went for, and in a two-day period, we were putting up a really incredible backdrop of production.
On the second day, I was touching base with our team, and I said, «How are things going?» They said, «Well, we hit a big roadblock. Some of the support trusses that go from stage to the top of this video wall have been put in upside down, and we didn’t realize that until we were ready to put the top piece on, and it didn’t fit. We learned later that a lot of these crews have not been working regularly for months and months, and people were not in the quick-pace rhythm they had been in before. Just without thinking, all of a sudden, several of these big support trusses are upside down.»
You don’t realize it just by looking at the progress until you try to put the last beam on, and then you go, «Uh-oh; we’ve got to take all this apart and turn these things right side up.» Many of you are realizing now the top beam doesn’t fit. When that happens, don’t bail out, don’t blame somebody else, don’t give up, and don’t beat yourself up. Just look around and maybe ask God to help you see: «Did I put a couple of the main beams in upside down?»
He’ll gracefully help you and say, «Yes, I wish you had put Me first, and if you had, I would have shown you the way to put that beam in the first time so that the top would have fit. But I’m willing to help you take it all apart, to the degree that we can right now, to turn the beam around and start over again.»
Even if there are casualties and loss and water under the bridge, and everything can’t be recovered, I’m still a God of grace, and I’m still a God of truth, and I’ll help you put the beams in right if you’ll put Me first. I’ll make your path straight. In time, that’s what they did; they had to dismantle a lot of stuff in a really short period and put it back up the way it was supposed to go, and then we were able to see the power of that enhancing the truth and the worship that was exalting Jesus—maybe the most beautiful thing that’s ever been put up in that stadium before.
God wants to do that for you, and it all begins with three letters: PGF—put God first. Are you willing today to humble yourself, recognize the grace that has brought you here, acknowledge God for who He is, and put God first?