Give God Your ‘Firstfruits’

Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; Proverbs 3:9

Solomon wrote: ‘Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine’ (Proverbs 3:9-10). The people who heard those words lived off their land and their livestock. Whenever they reaped a harvest or birthed new cattle, they’d take the first sheaf or the firstborn calf to the temple and offer it to the Lord. These were called ‘firstfruits’. By doing this they were acknowledging that ‘everything I have comes from God, and belongs to God. And everything I’ll need for the future depends upon God’s goodness to me.’ Today, you’ll probably come across Christians who have very different views on tithing (giving 10 per cent of your income to the church). Some might say we should tithe because it shows our trust in God, others might say we don’t have to because Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross means we’re no longer bound by Old Testament laws. Whatever you choose to do, remember the advice in 2 Corinthians 9:7: ‘Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver’. We should be praying for God’s guidance before deciding how much to give, remember that God is the owner of all things. We are to use that which is His to do His will. It is not a matter of “giving” but a matter of what we are doing with all that is His. God honors that attitude and reality of Him.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for all that You entrust to me. Help me be faithful in how I manage and use that which is Yours – always bringing praise to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen