Putting First Things First

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. -- Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew 6:33

Here's a good motivating quote by C. S. Lewis about how we ought to order the pursuits of our lives individually and corporately.

....every preference of a small good to a great, or a partial
good to a total good, involves the loss for the small or
partial good for which the sacrifice was made.  Apparently
the world is made that way.  If Esau really got the pottage
in return for his birthright, then Esau was a lucky
exception. 

You can't get second things by putting them
first; you can get second things only by putting first things
first.  From which it would follow that the question,  What
things are first?  is of concern not only to philosophers but
to everyone.

To preserve civilization has been the great aim;
the collapse of civilization, the great bugbear. Peace, a high
standard of life, hygiene, transport, science and amusement -
all these, which are what we usually mean by civilization,
have been our ends. ... Perhaps it can’t be preserved that
way. Perhaps civilization will never be safe until we care for
something else more than we care for it.

... What is the first
thing? The only reply I can offer here is that if we do not
know, then the first, and only practical thing, is to set
about finding out.

-- C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), God in the Dock