There’s something interesting about how easy it is to say “God first” and how quickly life starts pulling for that same spot.
It doesn’t always look like open rebellion or walking away from faith. Sometimes it’s subtle. Work gets busy. Goals get louder. Relationships demand attention. Even good things slowly start competing with God without us really noticing. And before long, “putting God first” becomes more of a reminder on the wall than a rhythm of our lives.
That’s why this topic shows up so often in Scripture. Not because God is trying to limit life, but because He understands how easily the heart shifts when too many things start crowding the throne.
These 31 Bible verses about putting God first are really reminders of order, and what life looks like when God isn’t just included in the picture, but actually placed where He belongs.
What Does the Bible Say About Putting God First
1. Matthew 6:33 (NKJV):
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
2. Proverbs 3:6 (NKJV):
“In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
3. Exodus 20:2-3 (NKJV):
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.”
4. John 15:5 (NKJV):
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
5. Matthew 6:24 (NKJV):
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
6. 2 Corinthians 8:5 (NKJV):
“And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.”
7. Luke 14:26 (NKJV):
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”
8. Deuteronomy 6:5 (NKJV):
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
9. Matthew 10:37-39 (NKJV):
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
10. Psalms 122:1 (NKJV):
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”
11. Psalms 27:4 (NKJV):
“One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.”
12. Psalms 25:14 (NKJV):
“The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.”
13. Psalms 37:4 (NKJV):
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
14. Matthew 19:21 (NKJV):
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
15. John 5:30 (NKJV):
“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.”
16. Colossians 3:17 (NKJV):
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
17. Mark 12:30 (NKJV):
“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”
18. Colossians 3:2 (NKJV):
“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”
19. Matthew 4:10 (NKJV):
“Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
20. Luke 14:33 (NKJV):
“So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
21. Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV):
“looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
22. Psalms 16:8 (NKJV):
“I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”
23. Psalms 118:8 (NKJV):
“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”
24. Revelation 2:4 (NKJV):
“Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”
25. 1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV):
“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
26. Joshua 24:15 (NKJV):
“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
27. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV):
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
28. Luke 9:23 (NKJV):
“Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
29. John 3:30 (NKJV):
“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
30. Psalms 63:1 (NKJV):
“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.”
31. 1 Chronicles 16:11 (NKJV):
“Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!”
Topping Off: 31 Bible Verses on Putting God First
Putting God first is rarely complicated in concept, but it can be challenging in practice. It usually comes down to small daily choices: what gets your attention first, what gets your trust when things feel uncertain, and what you keep returning to when life feels full.
And honestly, most of the struggle isn’t about not believing in God. It’s about how quietly other things can start taking priority without us ever meaning for it to happen.
That’s why these 31 Bible verses on putting God first matter. They don’t just tell us what to believe. They gently pull our focus back into alignment. Because when God is first, everything else doesn’t disappear. It just finds its proper place.
