When I think of placing God first in our lives, I think of Matthew 6:33. Jesus said, "but seek ye first the kingdom of Gods, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Obviously the most important thing is to enrich oneself with treasures which make man rich toward God,- righteousness, godliness and a host of other virtues. Placing God first causes us to deprive materialism of all its false value. We will not trust in it because we know of its uncertainty. We do not desire it because we know its dangers. We certainly will not boast of it because we know it adds nothing to our real worth. "Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world., and it is certain we can carry nothing out" (I Tim. 6:6-7).

A godly man is content with what he possesses. He is freed from the thirst for perishing treasures because he possesses treasures of a higher and more enduring character. Placing God first, he is content. What he has is sufficient in and of itself. He knows that he "who hath God hath all; who hath him not, hath less than nothing." God must come first in our lives.

I one a read that when the daughter of General Booth was a child, she lived in relative poverty, devoid of the common luxuries. When she grew older she began to realize how little they had in their humble home. One day she said, "Father, why don't we have more things like other folks?" General Booth said, "get me a piece of paper and a pencil." Making a dot in the center of the sheet, he wrote above it "things." Around it he drew a circle and named it "man," and a still larger circle and called it "God." "Now," said the general, "I have always given 'things' in this world the place of the little dot, I have given 'man' the first circle and placed 'GOD' at the circumference-giving Him the large place." Asking for a second sheet of paper, he said to his daughter, "I will now place another dot at the center and name it `GOD.' The first circle will be 'man,' and the outer one >things.' Which will you have, daughter-'God' as the little dot, or the big circle? "The daughter said, "put God at the outer circle and let things always be the little dot!" May things always be the little dot in our lives. Place God first.

Truth Magazine, XVIII:30, p. 11
May 30, 1974