🌟 Remarkable Monday, July 1

Prioritize God's Kingdom Above All Else

Author

Mark Patterson
01 Jul • Est. Reading Time: 5 minutes

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Happy Monday! Without further ado, let’s jump right into this week’s edition of Remarkable Monday:

(No gifs this week. Let me know how you like it.)

First Things First – Prioritize God's Kingdom Above All Else

A Personal Story

I remember it like it was yesterday. My teacher, Mrs. Harris, started drilling the concept of the order of operations in our middle school math class. She explained that solving a math problem correctly required doing things in a specific order—parentheses first, then exponents, followed by multiplication and division, and finally addition and subtraction.

Skipping steps or doing things out of order would lead to the wrong answer, no matter how diligently we worked. This lesson stuck with me beyond math class, as it highlights an important principle for us to focus on today: first things first.

In our lives, just as in math, getting the order right can mean the difference between chaos and clarity. As I navigated my journey through leadership and entrepreneurship, I often found myself overwhelmed by the myriad of tasks and decisions that demanded my attention.

It was easy to get caught up in the urgent and overlook the important. But the order of operations in life, much like in math, requires prioritizing what matters most first.

Matthew 6:33 (NLT) puts it this way:

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Verse 34 goes on to say, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Isn’t that the truth?

I also love how The Message translation puts it as well:

“...Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

Reflection:

For me, practically seeking God's kingdom first means aligning my daily actions with His will and purpose. This starts with the simple act of beginning my day with prayer and reflection, setting aside time to connect with Him before diving into the demands of the day.

It also means setting goals that honor Him and making decisions that reflect His values, even when it’s tough. Trusting that as I focus on His kingdom, He will take care of my needs and guide me through the challenges I face, brings me a sense of peace and direction.

Questions: How can you make God's kingdom your top priority today?

Today, this Monday, let’s reflect on how we can put first things first in our lives and work. Consider practical steps to align daily actions with core values and long-term vision.

Identify areas where you may need to adjust your focus to prioritize what truly matters –– the Heavenly Father’s vision for your life. By reordering your priorities, you'll find greater clarity, purpose, and fulfillment, leading to sustainable success in all areas of your life.

If you are reading this far…

I hope this message finds you well. I’m sharing from my heart in hopes that you will be inspired to unearth and live out your God-given purpose. Hopefully, something I said resonated. I would love to hear from you if so. Please feel free to reach out to me on social media. FYI: I’m mostly active on Instagram these days. If you were forwarded this message, you can subscribe here to receive thoughts like this directly in your inbox. And don’t forget to check out the latest episode of my podcast, ConvoRoom with Mark Allen Patterson.

See you next week,