First Things First

For more than 30 years, I’ve told business owners the same thing: pay the tax first, then pay yourself. Lately a question has been bothering me. If the tax comes first and I come second, where does God fit?In today’s episode, I follow up on the Haggai episode from two weeks ago and finally give you the first fruits episode I promised. We walk through Proverbs 3 and Matthew 6, and I share why “leftovers” is where God lands when we don’t decide the order ahead of time. I also talk about what Proverbs 3:10 is and isn’t promising, because the barns-full-of-plenty verse gets misused a lot, and it gets on my nerves.Then I get practical about what putting God first looks like on an ordinary Tuesday, whether you have a lot or almost nothing. I cover money, time, and attention, and I share four very different tables with the same order.What you’ll hearWhy leftovers never actually get paid, whether it’s taxes, savings, or givingWhy we put first the things with consequences we can seeWhat first fruits meant to a farming people, and why the word is honor, not payWhat Proverbs 3 and Agur’s prayer say about wealth and wisdomWhat Jesus does promise in Matthew 6, and what He doesn’tThe difference between giving from the front of the line and giving from the backWhy the widow’s two coins matter more than any percentageMy Truth Unveiled moment: whatever gets paid first is whatever you trust mostScripture referencedProverbs 3:5-10Matthew 6:31-34Exodus 23:19Proverbs 30:8-9Mark 12:41-442 Corinthians 8:12Romans 5:81 Corinthians 15:20This week’s challengePick one thing, your money, your time, or your attention, and move God to the front of the line. Which one will you pick?Take the next stepIf you prayed with me today, I’d love to hear from you. I read every message: truthunveiledwithralph.com/decisionI also host a daily show called Becoming Financially Confident: becomingfinanciallyconfident.comNext week: Built on the Rock. Two builders, two foundations, and one storm, right out of Matthew 7. Don’t miss it.#ralphestepjr