First Things First: Faith, Tithes, and Divine Order

Devotional

Day 1: Chaos is a Priority Problem, Not a Time Problem

The frantic scramble to control life’s demands often leaves us exhausted, yet Jesus reveals the root issue isn’t busyness but misplaced priorities. When our schedules and bank accounts feel like a “hot mess,” it’s a sign something has dethroned God as first. True order begins not with better planners but with surrendering what competes for His place. Just as a jar can’t hold big rocks unless they’re placed first, our lives fracture when we treat God as an afterthought. Peace comes not from managing chaos but letting Him rearrange it. [10:39]

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”
(Luke 16:10, ESV)

Reflection: What practical area of your life (schedule, budget, relationships) feels most like a “hot mess” right now? How might this chaos reveal where God isn’t truly first?

Day 2: God is Not a Cosmic Spare Tire

We often treat God like an emergency tool—ignored until crisis strikes. But Jesus refuses to be a temporary fix for our flat tires. He demands to steer the entire journey, not just clean up wrecks. Just as ancient Israelites had to sacrifice the first lamb before seeing the rest of the flock, faith means trusting Him in smooth seasons too. Our loyalty is tested not in desperation but in daily surrender. [10:15]

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
(Matthew 6:33, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been tempted to “reach into the dark” for God only in emergencies? What would it look like to let Him drive today’s ordinary moments?

Day 3: First Fruits: The Lamb That Redeems the Donkey

God’s law required unclean donkeys to be redeemed by spotless lambs—a vivid picture of how Jesus’ perfection covers our brokenness. Just as the first 10% of income (the “clean” tithe) sanctifies the remaining 90%, Christ’s sacrifice makes our flawed efforts holy. Withholding the firstfruit isn’t frugality; it’s refusing redemption. What we clutch eventually slips away, but what we surrender is eternally secured. [21:19]

“You shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. Every firstborn of an animal you have shall be the Lord’s. Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck.”
(Exodus 13:12-13, ESV)

Reflection: What “unclean” area of your life (finances, habits, relationships) have you tried to manage without surrendering the “first lamb” to Jesus?

Day 4: Jesus: God’s Tithe for an Unclean World

Before humanity proved worthy, God gave His first and best—Jesus—as the ultimate tithe. The Father didn’t wait for our repentance to sacrifice His Son; He led with radical generosity. Just as ancient farmers gave their first harvest in faith of future crops, the cross was heaven’s down payment for our redemption. Our giving isn’t charity—it’s echoing divine precedence. [26:53]

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8, ESV)

Reflection: How does seeing Jesus as God’s “firstfruit” change your view of what He asks from you? Where can you mirror His “no guarantees” generosity this week?

Day 5: Reboot: Ten Minutes and Ten Percent

Faith isn’t abstract—it’s practical. Giving God the first 10 minutes of your day and first 10% of your income isn’t legalism; it’s declaring His lordship over time and treasure. Like resetting a misaligned wheel, these acts recalibrate your heart’s true north. The God who redeemed donkeys with lambs can multiply surrendered crumbs into feasts. Test Him—not to prove His faithfulness, but to experience it. [40:53]

“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will burst with wine.”
(Proverbs 3:9-10, ESV)

Reflection: Which “first” feels harder to surrender right now—time or money? What single step can you take today to prioritize it as an act of worship?

Sermon Summary

Jesus in Luke 16 sets the anchor: faithfulness with “unrighteous wealth” is a test of readiness for true riches. Material wealth becomes the test of spiritual stewardship, because Jesus deeply cares about how money is managed. The problem is not just that life feels busy, cluttered, and like a hot mess. The deeper problem is that disorder, stress, and chaos are usually not time management problems, but priority problems.

God is not a God of confusion. God is a God of divine order, and he does not want life stuck in an endless cycle of robbing Peter to pay Paul. The “easy button” people look for is not another planner, another app, or another budget trick. The true reboot begins when first things are put first.

Matthew 6 and Proverbs 3 make first place the real issue. God does not want to be an extra in a busy schedule or a cosmic spare tire pulled out only when life gets a flat. God demands the first place: heart, soul, strength, schedule, and money. Jesus names the rival clearly: mammon. Whatever has trust has loyalty, and whatever has loyalty has the heart.

Proverbs 3 says to honor the Lord from wealth and from the first of all produce. The tithe, the first 10%, is not treated as a religious tip or leftover gift. The tithe is first fruits, and first fruits belong to God already. Exodus 13 shows that the firstborn belongs to the Lord, clean or unclean, and that the clean lamb redeems the unclean donkey.

That picture opens the golden thread of the gospel. Humanity was born spiritually unclean, but Jesus was born clean, spotless, and sinless. The clean Lamb was sacrificed so the unclean could live. Jesus is God’s first and best, God’s own first fruit, given while sinners were still mocking him, scorning him, and nailing him to the cross.

Communion becomes the proof that God put his people first by giving his very best. Jesus’ body was broken so connection with the Father would not be broken. Jesus’ blood seals the covenant that brings chaotic souls back into divine order. The call is simple and uncomfortable: God must be first in the budget, first in the schedule, first in the day, and first when the paycheck comes in.

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Key Takeaways

1. God first brings divine order [14:08] God does not ask for a corner of life that is already tidy. God claims first place because only first place can bring the rest into order. Problems may not vanish, but a life reordered under his lordship stops carrying chaos as though chaos were normal. [14:08]
2. Mammon competes for the heart [15:45] Jesus does not treat money as neutral when it becomes a master. Mammon asks for trust, promises security, and quietly demands loyalty. The heart follows treasure, so financial patterns often reveal spiritual allegiance more honestly than religious words. [15:45]
3. First fruits require raw faith [27:15] The first lamb is given before the rest of the flock can be counted. That is why first fruits are not about spare change, excess, or waiting to see what is left. Obedience at the top of the paycheck says that God is trusted before the bank account explains whether trust feels safe. [27:15]
4. The clean Lamb redeems the unclean [26:37] Exodus 13 is not just an old rule about donkeys and lambs. The clean one dies so the unclean one can live, and that pattern points straight to Jesus. God gave his spotless Son for an unclean world, not after humanity cleaned itself up, but while sin was still doing its worst. [26:37]
5. Leftovers leave life unredeemed [38:14] Giving God leftovers trains the soul to believe that everything depends on human control. First place shifts the burden from fragile shoulders into God’s capable hands. The first ten minutes and the first 10% become practical acts of surrender, not religious add-ons.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:22] - True Riches Part Two
[02:09] - Faithful With Unrighteous Wealth
[04:03] - Too Much Can Become Chaos
[09:01] - First Things First
[10:15] - God Is Not A Spare Tire
[13:16] - God Demands First Place
[15:45] - Mammon Competes For The Heart
[17:50] - First Fruits And The Tithe
[19:50] - Exodus 13 And The Firstborn
[22:17] - The Clean Lamb Redeems
[26:37] - Jesus Is God’s First Fruit
[33:35] - Communion And Redemption
[38:14] - Is God First Everywhere
[40:53] - First Ten Minutes And Tithe

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 16:10-11
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” [02:09]

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” [15:45]

Proverbs 3:9-10
“Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” [17:50]

Exodus 13:1-2, 12-13
“The LORD said to Moses, 'Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.' [...] you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the LORD's. Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.” [19:50]

Matthew 6:33
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Observation questions

In Luke 16:10-11, what contrast does Jesus make between being faithful in little and being dishonest in little, and how does he connect that to “true riches”? [02:09]
In Matthew 6:24, what are the two masters named, and what does Jesus say is impossible for a person to do? [15:45]
In Proverbs 3:9-10, what exactly is to be given to the Lord, and what promise is attached to honoring him that way? [17:50]
In Exodus 13, what happens to a clean firstborn animal, and what had to happen if the firstborn animal was unclean, like a donkey? [22:17]

Interpretation questions

If Jesus treats “unrighteous wealth” as a test connected to “true riches,” what does that suggest about the spiritual meaning of everyday financial choices? [03:25]
Jesus says a person cannot serve both God and money. How can money move from being a useful tool to becoming a rival master that competes for trust and loyalty? [15:16]
Exodus 13 says the clean lamb redeems the unclean donkey. How does that picture help explain why Jesus’ sacrifice was necessary for spiritually unclean people? [26:37]
Matthew 6:33 calls people to seek first the kingdom of God. What does “seek first” seem to mean when life feels disordered, busy, or financially strained? [14:08]

Application questions

When life feels chaotic, is the deeper issue more about lack of time or misordered priorities? Where does that show up most clearly right now in schedule, spending, or attention? [10:27]
God is not meant to be a spare tire pulled out only in emergencies. In what situations is there a temptation to treat him that way, and what would it look like to put him first before the crisis hits? [10:07]
“Whatever gets the first of your choices, that’s your true god.” What usually gets the first and best part of energy, focus, or money in this season of life? [38:31]
First fruits require giving before the rest can be counted. What makes that kind of obedience feel difficult or risky, and where is trust in God being tested most right now? [27:15]
If the first ten minutes of the day were given to the Lord for one week, what would realistically need to change in the morning routine to make that possible? [40:53]
If God is first in the budget, what practical step would help reflect that more honestly: reviewing spending, planning giving first, reducing impulse purchases, or something else? [38:14]
Communion shows that God gave his first and best while people were still in sin. How does receiving that kind of grace reshape the way a person responds to God with trust, surrender, and generosity? [35:59]

Sermon Clips

71s

#First10Faith

“``When we give that first 10%, we are making a down payment of faith. We are saying, God, we put you first. We trust you above our bank accounts, above our economy, above our jobs. And the reason I say Jesus is God's tithe is because God gave him first without any evidence that we would change. God didn't wait for humanity to clean up our act. Did anyone have to get good enough to receive Jesus? didn't wait to see if we would turn out to be a good harvest. As Romans five eight tells us, while we were still mocking him, while we were still scorning him, while we were still nailing him to the cross right off the top, while we were still sinners. God sacrificed his clean firstborn to redeem the unclean.”

63s

#RedeemedFromSin

“You know we read earlier about that unclean donkey. If it wasn't redeemed by a clean lamb, its neck had to be broken. It had to be destroyed. Left to ourselves, you guys, that was us. That was us. Because of our sin nature, we were spiritually unclean and left unredeemed. We were rightfully headed for brokenness and death. I know I had one foot in the grave before God snatched me out of that. Because God is merciful. He looked at our chaotic lives and he said, I redeem them.”

39s

#FirstFruitsFreedom

“If we hold back our first fruits, we're leaving our time, our families, and our finances unredeemed. We're demonstrating to God that we don't think we need him, and we're trying to carry the weight of it all by ourselves. But when you give God the first lamb before you see the other nine, you break spirit of devouring chaos over your life. You shift the burden from your own fragile shoulders and into his almighty and capable hands.”

64s

#JesusFirstFruit

“The clean Jesus, our spotless lamb, was sacrificed by god so that the unclean us, donkeys, could be redeemed. This is the ultimate expression of the first fruits principle. Maybe you never realized it before but Jesus is god's tithe. God gave his first and his best as a foretaste of the harvest to come. That's how significant that this principle of first fruit really is. Think about how tithing works. You give the first 10% right off your paycheck. You give in faith before you even know if you're gonna have a job tomorrow.”

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