LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
 
Sunday 4th January 2026
 
SET RIGHT PRIORITIES
 
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6

Therefore, do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:31-33
 
Often, we become overwhelmed by too many things. Modern life tends to be cluttered with too many things demanding our attention. The presence of cell phones and social media can cause us to run our lives in circles without achieving much for God and ourselves. That is why we need to have priorities.
 
Our vision and goals must be based on the right priorities. First things first. When we learn the alphabet, we begin with ‘A, B, C…’ When we learn numbers, we begin with ‘1, 2, 3…’ In both instances, we start at the point which will lead us to the next logical step and build on that foundation. In the same way, when we want to order our lives, we need to start from the point that will lead us to the next logical step and build on that.
 
Our Lord Jesus gave us the first thing to seek. He said our priorities must be set by putting the things of God first in our lives. In our rush to acquire the comforts of life, we are tempted to push the things of God onto the back burner. However, when we seek God first, all the other parts of our lives fall in place.
 
Here are some ways to make God first in your life:
 
- Read the Bible for at least ten minutes daily

- Pray a minimum of ten minutes daily

- Attend church services regularly

- Serve God with your time and talents

- Honour Christ with every choice you make

- Win one soul to Christ this year

- Generously support the work of God with your finances
 
Commit to taking these little steps regularly and you will gain momentum and go on to achieve so much this year.  

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, you are the priority of my life. Give me the grace to live my life in a way that pleases you. In Jesus’ name, *Amen.