Scripture Focus: “Consecrate to Me all the firstborn… it is Mine.” Exodus 13:2 NKJV
From the very beginning, God has always demanded the first. The firstborn, the firstfruits, the first portion, all were to be set apart for Him. This wasn’t because He needed them, but because His people needed to learn that He comes before everything else. Giving God the first is about recognising that He is the source, the owner, and the sustainer of all we have. The principle of “first” is bigger than money, it is about time, honour, devotion, obedience, and priorities. When God is first, everything else takes its proper place.
This principle also explains tithing. The tithe is a way of honouring God with the first tenth of what He gives us. But in the New Testament, the principle stretches further: not only the tenth but the whole belongs to Him. Setting aside the first is a declaration that your heart is not ruled by possessions, and that you trust Him to guide the rest. It is dishonour to receive all you have and then act as if God deserves nothing. The principle of first teaches us to honour Him in our giving, our decisions, our mornings, our opportunities, and our lives. If you put Him first, He will order your steps, and nothing you give to Him will ever be too much.
Prayer: Lord, teach me to put You first in all things, my time, my resources, my choices, and my life. May everything I have continually honour You. Amen.
Further Study: Proverbs 3:9–10, Matthew 6:33, 2 Corinthians 9:6–8