Today’s New Covenant nugget is from Genesis 4:3-5
And in the process (at the end) of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the FIRSTBORN (firstlings) of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected (received and embraced) Abel and his offering, but He did not respect (He rejected) Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
GOD REJECTS LEFTOVERS!
The Lord rejects all leftovers… not just ‘offerings’ that are given ‘in the course of time’, but everything that we do for Him that we happen to get around to if we have time, or if we have something at the bottom of our ‘priority barrel’ that we think may bless Him.
THE LORD AND HIS PRIORITIES HAVE TO BE YOUR FIRST PRIORITY TO BE RECEIVED BY HIM!
HE RECEIVES AND BLESSES EVERYTHING THAT YOU PRIORITIZE TOWARD HIM!
The good news is that the Lord RECEIVES what we do, or what we give when we give Him our first and our best! When the Lord receives something from us, we are in for a major blessing!
Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” The Hebrew word for ‘possessions’ can also be translated ‘substance’, or ‘what you have that is in your control’. This is not just dealing with wealth or money, it is dealing with everything that we have… our time, our energy, our focus, everything under our control, including our money!
The Lord says that if we honor and worship Him by putting Him FIRST in everything, that our barns will be filled with plenty (material prosperity) and that our vats will overflow with new wine (spiritual prosperity). As we honor and worship the Lord with the firstfruits of all that we have been given stewardship over… as we give Him the FIRST and the BEST of everything, the Lord receives our worship and then opens heavens gates toward us… meditate upon this revelation!
In Matthew 6:28-33, Jesus shares a New Covenant TRUTH that, if you get a revelation on it, and if you apply what Jesus is imparting, you will never worry, stress or want for anything ever again!
Jesus said, “28-29 “So WHY DO YOU WORRY about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31-32 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek (unbelievers make these things a priority). For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But SEEK FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Jesus assures us that everything that we worry about… everything that we stress about, and everything that we need or want will be supernaturally provided for, ‘IF’ we stop focusing on those things, and ‘IF’ we no longer make those ‘things’ a priority… and ‘IF’, instead of prioritizing those things, we make HIS kingdom agenda our priority, that HE will take care of the rest!
Vs 33 Paraphrase… ‘As the righteous in Christ put Jesus and His kingdom priorities first in all things, then everything that you need or desire will pursue you and overtake you!’
GIVE JESUS YOUR FIRSTFRUIT AND PRIORITIZE JESUS’ KINGDOM AGENDA WITH…
YOUR TIME…
Make time FIRST thing in the morning to pray and worship – make time to minister to others – make time to go to church and bible studies – put Jesus’ kingdom agenda FIRST in your time management!
YOUR FAMILY…
Make Jesus’ kingdom agenda’s your family’s priority… enlist your whole family!
YOUR THOUGHTS…
Be preoccupied with ‘kingdom’ thoughts, what is Jesus doing, what is He saying, what is He wanting you to do?
YOUR PLANS AND YOUR LIFE VISION…
His assignments for your life, Jesus’ calling on your life…
YOUR MONEY…
Far beyond tithes and offerings… continually invest in the kingdom of God according to the promptings of the Spirit. A believer who has a problem with tithing simply does not have the revelation that we are talking about… tithing is the absolute minimum, and if someone is not even willing to do that, they are not putting the kingdom of God first financially, and as a consequence, they end up in a lot of stress and worry in the area of finances. Jesus does not need your money, YOU and I need Him to receive our money, so that we can live in freedom and abundance financially!
Jesus said in Mark 10:29-30 (TPT) “Listen to My words,” Jesus said. “Anyone who leaves his home behind and chooses Me OVER children, parents, family, and possessions, all for the sake of the gospel, it will come back to him a hundred times as much IN THIS LIFETIME - homes, family, mothers, brothers, sisters, children, possessions - along with persecutions. And in the age to come, he will inherit eternal life.”
WHEN YOU MAKE JESUS’ KINGDOM AGENDA YOUR PRIORITY, YOU ENTER THE REALM OF THE SUPERNATURAL! THE REALM OF MIRACLES, SUPERNATURAL ABILITY, SUPERNATURAL SUPPLY AND SUPERNATURAL FAVOR IN ALL THINGS!
WHEN YOU GIVE JESUS THE FIRST AND THE BEST IN EVERYTHING, INSTEAD OF WORRYING AND STRESSING ABOUT THINGS, ALL OF THOSE THINGS BEGIN TO SUPERNATURALLY PURSUE YOU UNTIL THEY OVERTAKE YOU! GIVE JESUS THE FIRSTFRUITS OF EVERYTHING IN 2021 AND BEGIN TO FULLY EXPERIENCE LIFE AND LIFE MORE ABUNDANTLY!
CONFESSION
“JESUS, THIS YEAR, I GIVE YOU MY FIRST AND MY BEST!
I MAKE YOUR KINGDOM AGENDA MY TOP PRIORITY IN ALL THINGS!
AS I PRIORITIZE YOUR KINGDOM AGENDA, EVERYTHING I NEED AND EVERYTHING I DESIRE FOR LIFE AND FOR MINISTRY PURSUES ME AND OVERTAKES ME!
YOUR KINGDOM AGENDA IS EASY AND LIGHT
I NOW ENTER THE REALM OF THE SUPERNATURAL IN ALL THINGS AS I PLACE YOUR KINGDOM FIRST!
2021 WILL BE MY YEAR TO RISE UP AND TO BE ALL THAT I CAN BE THROUGH YOU!”
In His amazing love, Nick
