The First Principle of Giving

“We’ve heard the old saying many times: First things first.”
“There is a heap of biblical truth in that little cliche. So what are the ‘first things’ where living the blessed life is concerned? Well, consider this: There are more than 500 verses in the Bible concerning prayer and nearly 500 verses concerning faith, but more than 2,000 verses on the subject of money and possessions.”
“Jesus talked about money in 16 of His 38 parables. Clearly, from the Bible’s standpoint, we need to understand money and how to handle it. Why? Because money is actually a test from God.”
“How you handle money reveals volumes about your priorities, loyalties and affections. In fact, it directly dictates many of the blessings you will (or won’t) experience in life.”
“The very first principle you must grasp, if you are to understand giving, is the principle of firstfruits. It can also be called the principle of the firstborn or the tithe.”

(Robert Morris, The Blessed Life: Unlocking the Rewards of Generous Living, Ventura, California: Regal, 2002, 29-30)

Money: God or Mammon?

The book of Deuteronomy contains some of the Old Testament’s most important teachings on temporal prosperity. Moses warns the people that they will be tempted to forget God when they have entered the Promised Land, and when their gold and silver and flocks and herds begin to multiply. Prosperity will bring temptations of pride: ”Beware lest you say in your heart, ’My power and the strength of my own hand have obtained this wealth.’ Remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you the power to obtain wealth, in order to confirm the covenant which he made with your forefathers” (8:17, 18). Moses could foresee all too clearly the very human tendency to focus on the gift and to forget the giver.
Many centuries later, John Wesley lamented the tendency of English converts to ”fall away from their first love” after they had become prosperous: ”Wherever riches have increased the essence of religion has decreased in the same proportion . . . as riches increase, so will pride, anger, and the love of the world in all its branches . . .”
Calvin Coolidge was certainly not a prophet, but the prophets would have concurred with the American President when he remarked, ”Prosperity is only an instrument to be used, not a deity to be worshipped.” The temptation for God’s people to serve Mammon rather than God is all too real.

(John Jefferson Davis, Your Wealth in God’s World: Does the Bible Support the Free Market? Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1984, 13-15)