Deuteronomy 26

that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground, which you shall bring from your land that the LORD your God is giving you, and put it in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide.
(Deu 26:2)

Notice that the Lord doesn’t tell his children to give Him the second, third, fourth, or last… He asks for the FIRST. Why do you think this is? Why is it that the Lord in this passage is more concerned with priority than quantity? He doesn’t give an amount, He just tells the children of Israel to give “some”.

I believe it is because God is most concerned with PRIORITY. The quantity that each of us can give to the Lord (whether we are giving time, money, or other resources is unimportant) will vary, but the quality we are capable of giving is the same across the board. God doesn’t want our leftovers, He wants the FIRST, the VERY BEST we have to offer. By giving the FIRST to Jesus, we are doing a couple of things.

1. We are acknowledging that EVERYTHING WE HAVE COMES FROM HIM. There is nothing I posses that didn’t first come from God’s hand… by honoring Him with the “first fruits” I am acknowledging that it all belongs to Him.
2. We are demonstrating that HE HAS THE PLACE OF PREEMINENCE IN OUR LIVES. Jesus shouldn’t just be important, He should be PREEMINENT. When we choose to give Him the best, and give to Him first, we are declaring that He comes before all else, that nothing else can take the place He holds in our hearts.

So, what are you doing with the things God has given to you? What are you doing with your time, your talents, your gifts, even your money? Is He getting the first, or just the leftovers?