Give to God First

Do not wait until you have paid all the bills, bought your children’s clothes, and everything is fine before you begin giving to the Lord. Those are not firstfruits; they are "lastfruits."

Many of us Christians are experts in “lastfruits,” but not in firstfruits.

We began this series of meditations on generosity with the story of the widow of Zarephath, whom God used to feed the prophet Elijah during a great famine throughout the region. We know the story: When Elijah arrives at the widow’s house, she is preparing to eat the last morsel she has left with her son and then resign herself to dying.

By the way, why does God choose the most extreme situations? Often, it is to display His power. He wants to establish spiritual laws showing that it does not depend on human strength, but on the power of God. And so Elijah arrives there, first of all, to a widow, and then to a destitute, poor widow, and asks that widow to feed him.

God was going to use that poor widow’s faith to show that with Him all things are possible, that if we believe Him and take a step of faith, He is faithful and powerful not only to give us what we need, but also to use us to be a blessing to others.

Elijah asks the widow first to make him a cake from the very little she has left, and then for her and her son to eat, promising her that if she does so, she will lack neither flour nor oil until the drought is over: “Do not be afraid; first make me a small cake and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son” (1 Kings 17:13).

Elijah was establishing another spiritual principle that we now draw from Scripture and apply in the twenty-first century, one that will bless your life, your finances, your children, and your family: Give to God first. Give God the firstfruits of your finances.

God always says, “Give to Me first.” God wanted to bring this woman into the discomfort zone. Because that is the zone where God’s heart is unleashed, where blessing flows, where grace flows. That is where we must learn to give to God and to others. When this woman obeyed the prophet Elijah and the spiritual principle embodied in his request, blessing and prosperity were unleashed. And the Bible says that “the oil did not diminish, nor did the oil run short during the entire time Elijah was with her,” until the famine in the land ended.

And notice that after that, her son became gravely ill and died, and because Elijah was there, he also brought her son back to life. Because the parents’ blessing extends to their children. Do you want your children to be blessed in the future? If you want a prosperous family and blessed children, be generous toward God. Always give to Him first, and He will bless your household and your generations.

We must give to the Lord in every area: money, profession, intellect, time, energy, forgiveness, grace—everything must be shared, shared, shared. Give generously and do not worry. Sow “to seven and to eight,” and you will see how you will always be able to reap. What you sowed here will take a little while, but by then you will already have sown somewhere else, and while the other harvest is coming, you will be able to reap what you sowed first. Then you can gather from this and afterward from the other, and you will always have seeds sprouting and bearing fruit.

Blessing will flow continually in your life if you are generous toward God. The Lord tells you today, “Enter the discomfort zone.” Give to God first. Do not be intimidated by your limited circumstances. Give from the little you have, and always set aside the firstfruits for God. This spiritual principle will follow you all the days of your life, and the source of your blessing will never run dry.