Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today let’s harvest wisdom on giving God our first fruits.

Today’s scripture, Proverbs 3:9‭-‬10 (AMP), advises…
Honor the Lord with your wealth And with the first fruits of all your crops (income); Then your barns will be abundantly filled And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Consider…
My wife has been reading through Genesis with the help of the John MacArthur commentary. One day she shared Mr. MacArthur’s take on Cain regarding his offering, which was rejected by God. MacArthur said, Cain did things his own way, and insisted on his own rights.

That was a profound take. It inspired me to read the Genesis 4:3‭-‬5 (NLT) again. It says…
When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

While I agree with John MacArthur’s observation, I have one of my own.
There are two adjectives that stand out to me in this New Living Translation, ‘some’ and ‘best’. Based on God’s different responses to the two brothers gifts, I believe there’s an important lesson to be learned about what we are giving God. It’s pretty evident God desires, and deserves, our best from our first.

Here’s my reasoning…

• Cain presented some of his crops
• Able gave the best portions of the firstborn
• The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift

Notice the Lord accepted or rejected the person and their gift. This makes me believe God values thoughtfulness over thoughtlessness. Abel thought of God when he saw his first, whereas Cain giving some implies God was an afterthought.

This makes me think of a Reverend James Cleveland song, which says…

When we get a little money
And get up on our feet
Why do we change

Whatever God gave you
It’s no more than you need
Why can’t you remain the same

Today can be as bright
As the noon day sun
Tomorrow you could wake up
And everything you have is gone

Don’t forget to remember
Where all your blessings come from

James 1:17 (NLT) reminds us that…
Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

Still, how often are we like the nine Jesus asked about in Luke 17:12‭-‬19 (NLT). The scripture says…
As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

Is Jesus asking where you are after He blessed you, or is He completing the work He began because you remembered where your blessings come from?

When you wake up in the morning, do you thank God for waking you up, first?

When you start your day at work, in class or wherever, do you thank God for the opportunity and safe travels, first?

When you eat a meal, do you thank Him for your daily bread, first?

When you pay a bill, do you thank Him for being Jehovah Jireh, first?

When you figure something out or have an inspired thought, do you thank the Omniscient God for letting you know, first?

When you overcome, do you thank the Omnipotent God for giving you power from on High, first?

Bottom-line, is when, if at all, do you remember God?

Although remembering God is a vital requirement, it’s not standalone. In the lesson from Cain and Abel, we see that Cain remembered, but I submit that he didn’t recognize. This tells me that we although we may remember God, we can forget to recognize Him as the source of all that we have. Thus, how and what we give to God demonstrates our remembrance and recognition of Him with and for what we have.

I say that Cain didn’t recognize because he was angry about being rejected, rather than seeking to understand what he needed to do to be accepted.

How often do we get upset when we haven’t reaped what we feel we’ve sowed? And we ask God why, listing all that we have given or sacrificed for Him. But please consider my humble restatement of the facts. More often than not, we give God our leftovers, despite constantly asking Him for His best.

The way we give to God reminds me of the Widow’s mite in Mark 12:41‭-‬44 (ERV). The passage reads…
Jesus sat near the Temple collection box and watched as people put money into it. Many rich people put in a lot of money. Then a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth less than a penny. Jesus called his followers to him and said, “This poor widow put in only two small coins. But the truth is, she gave more than all those rich people. They have plenty, and they gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor, but she gave all she had. It was money she needed to live on.”

A couple of notes I took from this are…

• Jesus pays attention to who gives
• Jesus appreciates proportions more than portions. The rich gave from their abundance, but the widow gave all she had.
• Jesus, who sacrificed His life for us, values gifts of sacrifice instead of gifts to suffice.

…with God the quality of a giving heart matters more than quantity of heartless giving.

This brings me to the last point that the Holy Spirit is leading me to share, which is where God wants us to give.

1 John 3:17 (NLT) asks…
If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

This reminds me of Jesus and the rich young ruler. Let’s read the story from Luke 18:18‭-‬23 (NLT)…
Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.’” The man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.

Notice the rich man was willing to do ‘some’ things for God, but He wasn’t willing to sacrifice his most important thing for Him. He treasured the gift of wealth more than the Giver of it.

I suspect, many of us are similar when it comes to our talents, time and treasures. We want to keep what we have and give God what we want. Then, just like Cain, we get angry when He doesn’t accept our rejects.

Let me clarify my point, we’re willing to give others in need our hand-me-downs, but ask God for everything new!

The Holy Spirit added that God doesn’t want our hand-me-down or leftover thanks and praise either.

In Luke 6:38 (ERV), Jesus said…
Give to others, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.”

I like this translation because it tells us that we will be blessed in the way we bless others. So if you feel like your hands are empty of God’s blessings, I suggest you check your blessing others register.

Wow, the Holy Spirit just hit me with the final connection. God proportionately gives to us as we give to others. That reminds me of the offering song written by Psalmist Billy Preston…

You can’t beat God’s giving, no matter how you try
And just as sure as you are living
And the Lord is in heaven on high
The more you give, the more He give to you
But keep on giving because it’s really true
That you can’t beat God’s giving, no matter how you try

Today, I challenge you to give your best offerings of thanks first. As my friend Sam would pray, Lord before I ask You for anything, I thank You for everything. That’s what Abel’s gift said, Lord I thank you first!

Next I challenge you to bless God by giving others your best time, talent and treasures, which God has generously given you. And just in case you don’t feel like you have much, remember there’s someone who has less that you can bless. When you do, just like with the Widow who gave all she had to live on, God will accept your gift, because you proportionately gave Him your all!

Finally, never forget to remember where all of your blessings come from. And you do that by giving God your best first. In doing so, you’ll be the one who remembered to come back to say thank You.

Today’s song is…
Don’t Forget To Remember

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)