The hosts of heaven cry out, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created” (Rev. 4:11). It is our rightful duty to honor God as the Creator of the universe. The book of Proverbs tells us that we are to honor Him with our possessions. We have to recognize that we are not owners, but stewards of the wealth and substance that God has entrusted to us. God wants us to be good stewards. Good stewardship is the ability to manage the things God entrusts to us. Our stewardship is constantly being tested by the Lord. “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). Stewards must be faithful. One test of this is in the giving of the firstfruits.
“Firstfruits” (Gr. aparche) mean a beginning of sacrifice, or very literally, the first fruit. It is what you set apart at the beginning to be an offering to the Lord. The offering of the firstfruits is a representation of your relationship with God. If you love and honor Him, you would give your best to Him.
In Genesis 4, Cain and Abel came before God to honor Him with their possessions. Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord (Gen. 4:3). The offering he gave was not something that was precious or had signifi cant value. It was a portion of the excess fruit from his harvest. But Abel’s offering was different. It was the firstlings (firstfruits) of the flock—the best he had, and the fat thereof—the best of his best. Abel offered neither the lame, the lean, nor the rejected. He gave his best to God. Abel’s offering was accepted but Cain’s was rejected. Hence, everything that is for the name of the Lord must befit His Majesty—it must be the choicest of our possession. Whether it is material or immaterial, God should have the fi rst and best of our time, gifts, strength and service.
The firstfruits are also a representation of the entire harvest. If the firstfruits are sweet, the rest of the harvest is also sweet. If the firstfruits are bad, the rest of the harvest is going to be bad. Jesus Christ is known as the firstfruits of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:23). The resurrected Christ had a new, glorious and immortal body. We can have this hope that one day we too can partake of the same resurrection that Christ had—a new, glorious and immortal body.
So we see that God will never offer or do anything for us that is mediocre or second graded. God has never given anything to His children other than His very best. We must have this same kind of attitude. As stewards of His creation, let us be found faithful. Let us honor the Lord with the best of our possessions. Let us never compromise on the quality of our gifts to Him. “So then, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you may do, do all for the honor and glory of God” (10:31, AMP).
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