By Pastor E. Adeboye
Memorise: “Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase:” (Proverbs 3:9)
Read: Proverbs 3:9-10
Today’s reading says those that know their God honour Him with their first fruits. If you do not pay your first fruits, it is an evidence that you are yet to know who you serve. Those who know God never trivialise His commands because whatever He asks you to do is of utmost importance.
<p When Abraham gave Isaac as an offering to God, he was honouring God with his first fruits. No wonder today, he has countless children all over the world! Your first salary in a new job is your first fruits. The first profit from a new line of business is your first fruits. For those already working, every year, your first salary or profit is your first fruits. When promoted to another level, the difference between your former salary and the new one is your first fruits. Honour God with it. As you faithfully pay it, an abundance is triggered.
“A just weight and balance are the LORD’s: all the weights of the bag are his work” (Proverbs 16:11). Those who will be strong materially never take the money that does not belong to them. They know it will be counter-productive. Lies, falsification of records, and other fraudulent measures cannot add to you. They will work against your financial prosperity.
<p Have you ever sat back to compare how you spend the money that comes clean with the ones that come through the back-door? If you do, you will observe that the former is peaceful, gives joy and is well spent. The latter however, does not give its owner peace of mind. Negative events suddenly erupt and before long such wealth is gone. You cannot use such money to do something truly meaningful. An Alhaji once gave his hall for rent to a Gospel church. After some years, he was under pressure by Muslim leaders to eject the church. He refused, saying the little that the church pays him is clean money. He could not compare it with the millions of dirty money he gets.
Proverbs 15:16 says, “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith”. What most struggling believers do not know is that the rich in the world are envious of them. The CEO of a large establishment was envious of one of his staff who is a believer. The staff was poorly paid and denied his benefits for years, yet the little he has, as well as the clothes he wears, became the envy of his multi-millionaire boss. This year, you will be envied. Your little will be blessed. The Lord will multiply your blessings. You will overtake those ahead of you. But remember to honour the Lord with every increase He brings your way.
Are you owing God first fruits? Pay it today!
Thank you for confirming that this is the direction the God is taking at this time! It is exactly what we are being taught and what God is revealing in my church and family at this immediate moment!
God is awesome in His faithfulness to us all!
Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year to you and yours!
Blessings
A.
Please expound on 5% late charge on tithes. Leviticus 27:30-31
My question is when I am paying my first fruit,do I take my tithe out of it.thanks.
Great message- I look forward to reading more of your blog. (WordPress counted my poem “Firstfruits” as a “possibly related post,” so I was able to backtrack to your post.
As I mentioned, I look forward to exploring this site further.
Let God have his way with everything about our lives and everything will turn out 100 times better than ever expected! God is great!! I pray that more sites like this continue to pop up and drown out all the negative ones…. God bless!
Thanks for the message, but please am i to give all of my firt pay as my firstfruit?
Yes Gideon you pay all of your first salary as the first fruit, not a portion of it. Ofcourse thinking about it, its difficult cos you wonder how you will survive for the rest of the other month. But God is faithful, He will never lead you to struggles and poverty. WHen you are faithfull with God, He is a faithful God and will be faithfull to you and take care of you. Do your part , stand in the promise of God and Im sure He will never disappoint you.
Be blessed
please advise since the pay i will get is less goverment levy, do i have to look for top up to ensure on paying i pay gross of my salary?
Unlike tithing, where one-tenth is required, Leviticus 23: 9 – 14 states “a sheaf” of the first fruits of your harvest. This sheaf is something like a reasonable bundle of farm harvests, even if the offeror has hundred farms. In other words, not an entire harvests of an entire farm. God did not require the entire harvest of a farm from the Bibilical Israelites.
The question is: how do pastors arrive at their calculation of one’s entire salary or one’s total profit?
I believe that the offering of first fruits should be by one’s inspiration and personal decision, not someone placing a demand.
pls do i make up to my gross pay since the pay given is less taxes and pentions
Is the first tithe pay to a pastor first fruit? If yes, how will it be paid? Part or everything. If spent, can it be later redeemed?, then how will it be redeemed?
Thank you.
Bless you sir, I stumbled on this material by Pst Adeboye & just felt you may need to teach it in church a sunday before the first fruits & thanksgiving sunday. I percieve there are more new members in church within the last 1yr.
Thanks sir!
Dapo Ayeni.
How is the firstfruit proceed used?how do we use the money.
In my denomination pastors are on full time and recieve allowances.does the pastor have share in this money?
If yes how.
Is just now we want to start practicing it.Now our eyes open to it
thanks
ose
how must i pay first fruit from my business after i was closed for the christmas holidays and opened back in january. Is the entire sale for the first day my first fruits offering
2. how does one pay tithe from his business
I have enjoyed this teaching by Pastor Adeboye. God wants His children to walk in wisdom, revelation and knowledge. I am currently reading a book “FIRSTFRUITS’ by Pastor Tom Deuschle of CelebrationMinistries, Harare, Zimbabwe (a country which has faced an economic meltdown, rampant inflation for the past decade). http://www.Celebrate.org. The incredible testimonies of people who have been obedient to God’s word on Firstfruits in a country with inflation breaking world records etc. will bless you. I believe this is a word for us for this season and God is using His prophets to unlock this biblical financial wisdom – His word never changes.
i thank u and GOD for this message.cos it has made learn things i had never known. My prayer is that GOD may grant as many years to leave so that we may practice all that is required to please our creator.And to GOD be the glory.
i just wanted to know if the monetary gifts received for the birth of a child is supposed to be a firstfruit for the child.
Thanks.
God talked to me about 1st fruit 3 years ago i did a kind of personal study but didn’t bother about it. Last year He talked to me about it again, and pushed by the H Spirit i payed my 1st fruit this year in January. I want to know Proverbs3: 9-10 talks about barns to be filled that is in point of view is talks money in the bank, food in the house, clothes in the ward-robe etc… please correct me if am wrong. But i would like to understand about the PRESSES burst with new wine.
Infact i based myself on this scripture when i gave my 1st fruit,and for the time being am going through hard time financially. So what to do?
thank you for your answer and support…!
I thank God for u.I’ll obey him
@ David Nwachukwu(no offence or disrespect)…..I will admonish you to read between the lines according to leviticus 23:10….God said to moses that when they finally get to there desired land…i.e. a place of contempt, destiny, promise land, a place that offers fulfillment, God’s chosen place e.t.c. when they reap harvest of that place, they should give to their preist (Pastor) a sheaf of the first fruits……. In other words a sheaf of the first fruit is not the first fruit…..lets read it again….. it says a sheaf of the first fruit ( a lumpsum of the first fruit)………In my own understanding….what God is saying here is that even after giving your first fruit to God….and we still have the understanding that God is blessing you abundantly (when we are reaping the harvest of the land)…..i.e. in business or payed job……then we should also bless your pastor with something substancial (a sheaf of your first fruit). A sheaf in the dictionary word means a substancial bundle…so it is left for us to decide what is subtancial should we want to appreciate our pastors.
Pls Note, the bible did not elaborate on how often this must be done… so we can decide to do it once a year, twice a year or as often as we feel led.
I think the problem in churches today is that we christians dont want to read the bible and digest it…. but want the pastors to preach it. Thus getting confused and struggling with understanding what God is really saying.
Abraham was in the process of offering his first fruit (Isaac) and God suprised him by providing something in exchange (ram) Gen 22:1-2 and blessings followed as God enlarged is coast Gen 22:17. I think the most important thing here is the sincerity of our hearts and the readiness to give to God Pus excersicing faith like abaraham. Also God demonstrated the possibility by giving us his own son Jesus as the first fruit John 3;16 and by so doing God has more sons and daughters this day..The point is giving first fruit in sincerity and genuiness of heart opens doors for increase pls let us not struggle with it. Afterall we can build houses and buy cars that run into millions of Naira but here we are struggling to appreciate the giver of Life.
God help us all as we take the right steps in obeying his commands. SHALOM
I have a question. does giving it back to God mean giving it as an offering to the church or would donating it to the needy equal the same thing?
hey guys, did abraham really set out to offer a firstfruit of isaac? God simple asked that abraham sacrificed his son and he obeyed, i dont remember seeing any talk of firstfruits there. if abraham was keen on offering the firstfruit offering, i dont think God would have asked him to do it. why is it people keep making unnecessary references just to drive home this idea of firstfruits?
@Omotayo Lolatayo i didn’t see you really address David Nwachukwu’s comment. from what you have said, after giving the firstfruit, for example one’s whole salary, what will be left of it to give to the pastor?
good question KimcheeSUshi, i also await an answer to that.
Thank God for ur life sir.this message is for me and my family.
Thank you so much sir,for this concise but explicit added knowledge of the scripture;because i have been having so much contemplation… God will keep blessing you for us.
am very greatfulful for reading and benefiting from your book.God bless you
Can someone explain to me how much portion a sheaf is? The word substantial is very subjective and can mislead sometimes. I have realised that many people interprete it in so many different ways to suit their situations. My advice is, lets interprete that with the revelation from God.
God bless
Wow! Thanks for the piece and the scriptural backing up of it. Ever since I started giving my tithe and first fruits I have NEVER FALLEN sick nor lacked…..even those days when I give my all salary away as first fruits. God is a FAITHFUL and MIRACLE working God. Test and see that HE is GOOD. HIS mercies endureth forever. My life has prospered in accordance to HIS word; I give ABBA (God our Father) all the Glory.
And to the Church leaders, I pray that the LORD will grant you wisdom in using the resources in you hands for the glory and honour of HIS name.
God Bless.
206 ABA RD RUMUOLA PH R/S
Thank God for this message may the good lord continue to uphold your ministry
let the glory of the lord remain for ever for heis faithfulto keep his word. I am a living testimony I wasled by god to pay my first pay as firstfruit &today my lifeis never de same again I have businesses as extra income to my job the lord inspired me to invest in properties
and I believe him to
be a millionaire . keepup the good work of preaching the word with boldness pastors, john8:32 u shall know the truth & truth shall set u free.
just like the others are asking, if government already taxed and pension etc already deducted from my increment, how do i faithfully pay the first fruit?
I’m highly enlightened jus the staff i’ve been lookin 4. GOD Bles U
All glory 2 God 4 all this inspiration and for more revelations,my question is do one pay tithe when u give first fruit? And can firstfriut be given to one pastor or just give it as an offering.
Thank u daddy for this wonderful teaching on tithing and ”FIRST FRUITS”. This msg has blessed and relief me from doubt about fruits. Thanks. May d Lord gives u more revelation of His word in Jesus name. Amen
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS EXPLANATION.. NOT EVERYBODY HAS THE GIVE OF INSTRUCTION, BUT FOR SURE YOU HAVE IT. GOD BLESS YOU. ROSA SABALIER
God never asked anyone to give whole salary to the church or pastor.
Sir on dis issue of first fruit ,since d total profit for d first job is d first fruit does it mean dat no tithe for dat month
May the lord blesses his word and give us a listening ear. I need some clerification from your explanation. 1. The first profit in a buz can be easily determine, how do you determine that of a salary earner; is it after deduction of expenses to his working place, such as trasp.allow since the former would not tourch his capital? 2. Since we are expected to pay first month salary yearly and increase say as a result of promotion; is it the increase that we shall continue to pay yearly, until we have another increase, if it is still the same job that one had earlier pay first fruits on it. Pls, share your reply with me on my facebook account. More annointing and God bless.
Hi,Bishop.Suppose i start farming potatoes and my first harvest is 40 bags;how many bags should i pay as first fruits? What happens to the smaller sized potatoes that are not saleable due to their small size?Do i also subtract the amount I spent on farm inputs from the harvest?Is it commanded of us in the New Testament? I am confused,please help.
It is more blessed to give than to recieve
Our God is faithful and only Him can strengthen us to be able to pay our first fruits, with the economic crunch what you get as salary is not enough to last us till nest pay day talk less of saving anything , that is human thinking, our God who has called for first fruits will surely supply our needs according to His riches in glory We can do all thing through Him that strengthen us..
Is first fruit part of the first income/increase after tithe or the whole that remains after tithe?
What a word..Pastor I’m confused when refering to first fruits..What are the first fruits of my first salary,is it 10% of it or 100%?
Sir, I just got a new job do I give the first salary as the first fruit
thank you sir for the new insight
this is a necessity for every beliver who want to make a global impact. thanks
Tanks dady i just finish reading ur mesage on 1st fruit, though its my culture 2 pay 1st fruit but i want dis yr 2b different, I want my father 2 change my job 2 a federal gov 1, settle me marritally, restore my worship life and establish my business also. Tanks.