Why We Give: Putting God First

The very first event recorded in the Bible after the fall of Adam and Eve is the offerings of Cain and Abel. The fact that God's Spirit reveals this first after the Fall surely says something about the extreme importance that the Lord places on our giving to Him. Hebrews 11:4 tells us, “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain...” God testifying of his gifts: “and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”

Faith comes by hearing from God. Abel sought God for understanding about what to give and how to give it. Therefore, his offering was accepted by God. He gave the firstfruits to God.

Some people give to God if anything is left over in their budget after they have first used whatever they need. But God requires that we give to Him first, and then use what is left for ourselves. God commands, “And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings” (Leviticus 23:14). This divine statute will endure forever.

The apostle Paul declares that Abraham is the father of our faith, and that we should walk in his steps (Romans 4:1, 12, 16). Abraham not only gave tithes to Melchizedek, but he also offered his very best to God when he offered his own son on the altar.

Some claim that tithing is part of the Law of Moses and that it no longer applies to New Testament Christians. Jesus said that we should tithe (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42). Hebrews 7 also tells us that the New Testament priesthood is in accordance to Melchizedek's priesthood, which was revealed 400 years before the Law was given. The only two functions we see in that priesthood is the giving of bread and wine and the receiving of tithes. If we want to be a New Testament priest, we must be involved in this exchange. Therefore, giving is still extremely important to God, just as the story of Cain and Abel revealed thousands of years before the Law.

Some also claim that we should not give to God in order to receive from Him. However, in the context of financial giving, Paul explains that "he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully" (2 Corinthians 9:6). It would be rather foolish to tell farmers that they should not plant in order to receive. To the contrary, the more a farmer needs, the more he should plant! To man's way of thinking this is folly, but in God's Kingdom this reveals a key to financial blessing.

Undoubtedly, a farmer who plants his seed in an unfruitful field cannot expect to reap a harvest. The same is true for giving. If we give to a work that God has not ordained, we cannot expect to receive a harvest.

If you feel that Hebron Ministries is a work that God has raised up, and that it is a fruitful field, and if you would like to plant some seed in that field, we have made a way for you to do that on this site. One thing we should always remember is that God does not need our money. Rather, we need to give it, and He loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).