Setting Apart All That We Have for God
๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ฃ
โข Recall a time when you bought a present for a loved one with money that you worked hard for. How did they react?
โข What did you do with the first salary you earned or with the first allowance you received?
โข How do you manage your time, finances, or resources? Tell us more about it.
๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐
๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ด๐ต๐ง๐ณ๐ถ๐ช๐ต๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ค๐ฆ; ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐บ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ท๐ข๐ต๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ธ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ. ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐ฏ:๐ตโ๐ญ๐ฌ
(Read also ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐๐ฆ ๐ญ, ๐ก๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฑ:๐ฎ๐ฌโ๐ฎ๐ญ, and ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ญ:๐ญ๐ฒ.)
In a world full of material things, it can be easy to forget that everything belongs to God. David writes in one of his psalms that the earth is the Lordโs and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein (Psalm 24:1). Our possessions, resources, and even our lives are not really ours but Godโs. All things were created through him and for him (Colossians 1:16). As His stewards, we are to give back to God, in gratitude, what He has first given us. Today, we will look at how we can honor God by setting apart all that we have for Him, including our wealth and finances.
๐ญ. ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ.
๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ด๐ต๐ง๐ณ๐ถ๐ช๐ต๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ค๐ฆ; ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐บ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ท๐ข๐ต๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ธ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ. ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐ฏ:๐ตโ๐ญ๐ฌ
In biblical times, the Israelites offered their first harvest of crops to express their reverence to God and to acknowledge that He was the source of everything they had. Giving our first fruits means unconditionally setting apart the first and the best of what we have to honor God. It means trusting Him by placing all that we have in His hands. This is how Godโs people understood what giving the first fruits doesโit sets apart everything that we own and allows Godโs grace and spiritual blessings to abound in us (Romans 11:16). How has putting God first in your finances made an impact in your life? How has it changed the way you view wealth?
๐ฎ. ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ.
๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ด๐ต๐ง๐ณ๐ถ๐ช๐ต๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ค๐ฆ; ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐บ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ท๐ข๐ต๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ธ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ. ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐ฏ:๐ตโ๐ญ๐ฌ
Since God is the owner of all that we are and all that we have, we are to honor Him with everything He has blessed us withโnot just with our first fruits or tithes. We are called to faithfully steward even the 90% that we have been privileged to manage. In fact, the Bible is filled with ways on how we are to steward everything we have been given. Whether we are in plenty or in want, we are called to practice generosity and handle our finances wisely. It is when we honor God with both the first fruits and with all the rest of our possessions that we see an overflow of Godโs provisionโallowing us to honor Him more. In your life, how have you honored God, not just with the 10%, but with everything that you have?
๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก
โข How will the understanding that God owns everything change the way you look at money and the material possessions you have now? How will it help you trust God more?
โข Give some thought to how much God has blessed you. How can you honor Him with all the things that He has placed in your hands?
โข How can you put God first and give your best to Him faithfully, whatever the circumstance? How can you encourage others to do the same this week?
๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐๐ฅ
โข Praise God for everything He has made and blessed you with. Thank Him for His goodness and provision.
โข Ask God to give you the grace to set apart all that you have for Him. Pray that you will always be a faithful steward of His blessings.
โข Seek God as you profess through your giving and devotion that He is first above all. Pray for opportunities to minister to others as you honor God with your wealth.