It’s 4:45 AM. I struggle to open my eyes and reach over to silence the alarm on my phone, telling me it’s time for work. I drag myself to the shower and wait for the hot water to do its job and wake me up.
Sacrifice is hard. It’s hard to get up early, to stop the endless scroll of social media, to run that extra mile, to drive past the McDonalds.
It’s easy to get caught up in our daily routines, spending our time, money and energy without much thought, constantly running out of resources to give to the Father. We know that we are made for more than to just wake up, go to work, come home, watch TV, go to sleep, and repeat. I want a life that’s full and exciting and makes me a better, holier man, husband, and dad. I want to be better. And yet, it requires so much of me.
Since the beginning of time, God has been asking us to make sacrifices. Not because He wants us to suffer or to control us, but because He wants to remind us to rely on Him and not on our own power.
Take the story of Cain and Abel for example. “In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel, for his part, brought the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.” (Genesis 4:3-5)
Abel knew that it was important to not just give God an offering of his leftovers, but an offering of his best, the top cuts of his flock. This is often referred to as first fruits.
The story of Abraham and Isaac is another example of the first fruits. God asked Abraham to kill his only son as a sacrifice. It was a miracle Abraham and Sarah had a son at all due to their old age, and God had promised he would be Abraham's heir! But still, Abraham trusted God, and right as he is about to sacrifice Isaac, God provides a substitute for a ram instead.
Abraham must have been absolutely terrified as he headed up that mountain. He loved his son so much! What had he done wrong? Why wasn’t Isaac good enough? What would his wife Sarah say? Even with all these questions and doubts, he trusted God, and because he trusted he was given “offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is on the seashore.” (Genesis 22:17)
Again, when God is freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, he asks them for a sacrifice of their first fruits in what is known as Passover. “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats” (Exodus 12:5) The Israelites were to kill and eat a lamb, and put the blood on their doorposts so that the Angel of Death would pass over their house and not kill their firstborn sons, as the Angel was sent to do to the Egyptians.
Passover is still an important Jewish feast to this day.
Clearly, sacrifice is an important part of our relationship with God. Not primarily as a ritual, but as a daily part of our relationship with Him.
More than likely, God is not asking any of us to sacrifice our children on a mountain top, or to smear the blood of our best goat on the door. So why are we so reluctant to give the Father even a portion of our Christmas bonus, to wake up 10 minutes earlier, or to have the Fillet O’ Fish instead of a Big Mac on a Friday?
Making God First Priority In My Heart
Giving God our first fruits starts with an attitude of the heart. A symbolic practice I’ve been trying to implement in my life recently is pouring out the first sip of a beverage before I drink it. Coffee down the sink, a beer on the grass, or a splash from the water bottle on the trail. It's not a waste, but a small reminder that I am not made for comfort, and that God deserves only my best.
But why the first? What’s the difference between giving God the first ten minutes of my day instead of the last ten minutes?
Well, let’s look back at Cain and Abel. Cain tried to make an offering of leftovers, of offcuts, while Abel’s offering was of the finest cuts of his finest sheep, set aside first before he chose some for his family. Cain was relying on his own devices and skills, and making an offering out of obligation. God still accepts the offering, but He is filled with a much greater joy by Abel’s offering. Abel is fully relying on God to provide for him and take care of him; He is abandoned to the will of the Father. This abandonment draws Abel into a deeper and more trusting relationship with the Father.
God is not trying to hold you back or deprive you of anything good - He put dreams and desires in your heart, and He wants to bring them to fruition. But often, we need to get ourselves out of His way and be uncomfortable, so that He can give us joy and fulfillment that lasts.
Practicing Everyday First Fruits
Some friends and I recently challenged ourselves to a modified version of Exodus 90. Exodus 90 is a 90-day challenge that runs from early January all the way to Easter, focused on prayer, fasting and asceticism. Some of the challenges include daily prayer and exercise, no snacking, limiting screen time, no alcohol, and possibly the worst one—COLD showers. (Although I admit recently mine have been more on the “lukewarm” side than cold.)
While it's certainly not comfortable, Exodus 90 has taught me some valuable lessons about keeping priorities straight. It is the action of sacrifice that reminds me all these things are not actually enough for me. God is the only thing that can sustain me.
Instead of trying to fit God into your day, make your day fit around your relationship with God. Schedule and plan your prayer time, and stick to it! Even Jesus himself set apart the “first fruits” of his day for prayer. “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)
Of course, we shouldn’t neglect our families or jobs, but don’t be afraid to tell people you are unavailable at certain times if you have already committed that time to God. After all, prayer and the sacraments are not just something we do to build our relationship with Jesus—they are our relationship! This doesn’t necessarily mean we always have to use our first waking moment as dedicated prayer time, but more importantly that it is our first priority of the day.
Practicing The Really Tough First Fruits
The same can be said for our finances. I’m certainly not perfect at this, but ensuring we give a sufficient financial donation to the Church ought to be a priority in our monthly budgeting. The church asks each of us to give a tithe of our time, talent, and treasure. To “tithe” means to give 10%. So 10% of your weekly/annual income should be donated to the church, its charities and ministries (or whatever may be feasible for your situation). But we should feel a little bit uncomfortable.
Maybe that means writing another zero on the cheque, reaching for a red bill instead of a green one in your wallet, or even just the cost of your Monday morning Starbucks. This isn’t just restricted to money— it’s our time and talent too. It’s not so much about the amount we give as to why and how we are giving it. God wants us to give out of love for Him, not spite.
He wants us to experience just how far He will go to take care of us. He wants to use the resources He gives us in order to help reach others. When we feel uncomfortable in our generosity, we gain more confidence in God’s providence.
We can’t say a full “yes” to God until we have said “no” to the world and its comforts. Today, I invite you to ask the Father what he is asking you to say “no” to, in order to entrust yourself more fully to Him. You can also start by praying just a few minutes a day, or join the Behold Community Challenge for One Hour of Prayer every day during Lent.
Whether it's food, your phone, money, alcohol, TV or something else, God wants you to be free, and to give you good gifts for an abundant life. Perhaps Pope Benedict VXI said it best.
“Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to Him, are we not afraid that He might take something away from us? Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful? Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived of our freedom? . . . No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation.”
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