First Fruits
"Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine."
– Proverbs 3:9-10
In follow-up to last week’s Word of the Week on “Everything New in 2026,” I want to share what I believe is one of the greatest opportunities we have as followers of Christ as we begin a new year—putting God first through the principle of First Fruits.
I love the principle of First Fruits because it is clear, practical, and easy to understand. While many aspects of our faith are mysterious and sometimes difficult to apply to everyday life, First Fruits is straightforward: God desires to be our highest priority.He wants our first and our best—not because He needs it, but because He loves us and knows what order produces blessing.
God Desires to Be First, Not Just Included: From the very beginning, Scripture makes it clear that God will not compete for the top position in our lives. “You shall have no other gods before me.” He is not interested in being first on a list—He wants to be first, period. With divine order comes divine blessing. This is God’s economy. When we put Him first, everything else begins to align properly.
First Fruits Is About More Than Money: While First Fruits certainly includes our finances and resources—often a true indicator of the condition of our hearts—it extends toevery area of life. God desires the first of our time, our thoughts, our energy, and our pursuits. He wants to be first in our day, our week, our year, and our decision-making. For God, ordermatters more than quantity or quality.There is real power, blessing, and protection in the simple daily act of putting Him first. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
There Is a Real and Tangible Blessing in Putting God First: I began truly walking out the principle of First Fruits about 20 years ago after being personally challenged in this area, and it has been life-changing for me and my family. Before that, God was at the top of my list—but not always first. Since prioritizing Him as my first focus, I can honestly say I’ve experienced abundance across nearly every area of life—finances, family, ministry, business, and relationships. That doesn’t mean life has been perfect, but it does mean I am rich in the things that matter and equipped to face life’s challenges. “Trust the Lord with all of your heart; lean not on your own understanding; acknowledge Him in all things and He will direct your paths and keep them straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
As we step into 2026, First Fruits is an invitation to trust God at a deeper level. When we put Him first, we position ourselves to experience His provision, peace, and favor in ways we could never manufacture on our own. Our Pastor, Mark Pettus shared an amazing sermon Sunday on “Divine Order” that is very aligned to the principle of “First Fruits”. You can watch this sermon by clicking this link Divine Order Sermon.
Challenge Question: Am I clearly and intentionally putting God first in my time, finances, energy, and priorities—and am I truly giving Him my first and best?
Prayer: Lord, we acknowledge You as our Creator, Provider, and Savior, and we choose to honor You with our first and best. Help us reorder our lives around You and trust Your promises as we step into this new year. Teach us to put You first in every area, and allow our lives to reflect the abundance, blessing, and freedom that come from walking in obedience to You. Amen!
I pray that we would experience “abundant overflowing” blessings in 2026 as we put God First in every area of your life!
