Craig T. Owens

     You shall take some of the first of all the produce of the soil which you harvest from the land the Lord your God gives you and put it in a basket, and go to the place [the sanctuary] which the Lord your God has chosen as the abiding place for His Name [and His Presence]. And you shall go to the priest who is in office in those days, and say to him, “I give thanks this day to the Lord your God that I have come to the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us. … And now, behold, I bring the firstfruits of the ground which You, O Lord, have given me.” And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 26:2-3, 10 AMPC)

When we give God the firstfruits, we acknowledge and celebrate His provision. When we wait to give God the leftovers, we signal that we believe we have to provide for ourselves. This isn’t just a one-and-done gift, but it should be ongoing. 

Some people live as if the Bible says, “God helps those who help themselves.” In actuality, the Bible teaches that God helps those who realize they cannot help themselves. Those who know God as the Provider of even their next breath are those who abide in Him and are fruitful and are provided for through Him.