Firstfruits or Seconds

Leaven for Thought

Genesis 4:4 - And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.

Proverbs 3:9 - Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, And they presses shall burst out with new wine.

Matthew 6:31-33 - So, do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Many Christians seek to balance an abundance of priorities. We chase after both the necessities and the pleasures of life. We try to balance family, work, hobbies, social interests and political interests with our spiritual commitments to our local church and God. It's what we do. However, whether we acknowledge it or not, something has to come first. The first commandment makes God's position pretty clear: You shall have no other god before me. While we may not debate that commandment, its practical application is a bit more complicated (especially when it comes to our giving).

There is classic dilemma that Christians face when establishing our philosophy on our personal giving. Should we give in light of our "gross" or "net ?" Should we give from all we have received or from what is left over? Should we give from our first and best or just some of the total. Whether we acknowledge it or not, our position on this issue sheds light on where our priorities lie and then shows up in the other choices that we make. We would do well to consider the prophecy given by Haggai to the Israelites who returned to Jerusalem (after Persia conquered Babylon). They returned but delayed restoration of the temple.

Haggai 1: 2-6 This is what the Lord Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord's house." Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: "Is it time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains in ruin?" Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways, You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."

Withholding from God does not result in abundance. Giving less is not the Christian path to having more.

Today, Christians often give but treat our giving as a secondary issue. We may give based on what is left over after we satisfy other priorities. We may make our giving decisions from what remains after we've purchased the nicer home in the nicer neighborhood, the nicer car and enrolled our kids in more competitive (costly) extracurricular activities.

Those choices seem to make sense, but we may not be aware that our choices may hinder both our relationship with God and our blessings. Our reference scriptures confirm that our prioritizing God is not intended to result in our loss, but in our blessing. Not doing so can cost us more they we appear to gain. Second place won't due.

Let It Rise

Consider where giving falls in your priorities. See if you can identify one area of giving where you can consciously choose to sacrifice other things in pursuit of following how God leads you in that area of your walk with Him. It may be a gift of your time, your talent or your material treasure, but choose to give an offering of firstfruits rather than seconds.