Verse – Luke 2:22-23
Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.
Devotional
The significance of a firstborn cannot be overstated. God giving His firstborn to the world has deep spiritual connotations. God told Abraham to give his firstborn to Him as a sacrifice, and when God realized that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his first and only son to Him, it established Abraham’s faith and added righteousness to his account.
When the disciples told Jesus that the multitude was hungry, He asked them to bring what they had. That was all they had, and yet He asked them to give it to Him anyway. They brought what little they had, and He blessed it and caused it to multiply.
It takes great faith to give God your firstborn because you do not have any others to pick from. If you had a whole flock of sheep, it would be easy to just pick out the sick one and give it as a sacrifice. However, giving the firstborn as a sacrifice means that you believe in God to bless your sacrifice and redeem what is left. That is how great faith is shown.
God’s love for the world is shown through His willingness to give His only begotten Son to the world. This demonstrates that in showing faith to the Lord, you must give the firstfruits of your harvest. God is King and should be first in your life. That means He cannot accept anything that is meant for second place.
Abel’s sacrifice was accepted because he gave God the firstfruits of his flock. Cain, however, gave God some of his harvest but not the firstfruits, and God could not accept it.
If you are tithing or doing anything for God, make sure you give Him the best first before you consider what’s left.
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Declaration
I declare that God is first in my life, and I will honor Him with my firstfruits, my best, and my all. I trust that as I honor the Lord with my firstfruits, He will fill my barns with plenty and cause my cup to overflow. I choose to walk in obedience, believing that God will redeem and bless all that I surrender to Him
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank You for giving Your Son as a tithe for me. Thank You for redeeming me from sin and granting me the gift of salvation.
Help me to understand and embrace the principle of first fruits, so that I may always honor You with my best. Let me withhold nothing from You and place my trust fully in Your plan for my life.
Grant me the courage to show unwavering faith and strength, trusting fully in Your power to redeem and restore me. Keep me steadfast and let me not be swayed by evil, always walking in Your light.
Let my heart continually seek You, and let me dwell in Your house forever and ever.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Verses for further reading
Genesis 22:12 – "Do not lay a hand on the boy," He said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
Genesis 4:3–5 – "In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor."
Malachi 3:10 – "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."
John 3:16 – "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Exodus 34:26a – "Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God."
Proverbs 3:9–10 – "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine."
Matthew 14:19–20 – "And He directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over."