Leftovers or Lifeline? What Cain, Abel, and a 5 AM Alarm Taught Me About First Fruits

Have you ever sat before the Lord and felt a holy friction in your spirit? Lately, the Holy Spirit has been whispering a word to my heart that has completely disrupted my routine: First Fruits and Offerings.

At first, my mind went exactly where most of ours do—to my bank account. I started dissecting my giving. I asked myself, “Lord, have I not given to You with a pure heart? Is it because I didn’t give everything that was in my account?” I kept thinking of the widow in the New Testament who gave her last two mites. Jesus stood there watching the wealthy throw in their large sums, but He pointed her out and said:

The Word

“As I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything, all she had to live on.”

I wondered if my sacrifice was lacking. But after my weekly call with my mentor, the Holy Spirit gently but clearly exposed the real area where I was withholding my “all.”

It wasn’t my wallet. It was my clock.

The 5:00 AM Appointment

I realized I had been prioritizing my comfort and my sleep over waking up early to spend intimate, uninterrupted time with Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Let’s be real for a second: morning time flies. By the time I actually drag myself out of bed, make my mushroom coffee alternative, take my vitamins, and wait for my brain to finally wake up and get alert, it’s already 7:00 AM. At 7:00 AM sharp, my son wakes up. At that exact second, my focus has to shift entirely to being a mom. If I don’t pull myself out of bed by 5:00 AM, my quiet time simply does not exist. And when I skip that time, I end up trying to run my home and parent my son on steam.

The Word

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

I cannot run on steam. I have to spend that early morning time to recalibrate, to abide, and to be filled with the Spirit to overflowing (Ephesians 5:18) so that I have the patience and love required to run my household. Yes, I am sacrificing a bit of sleep. But let me tell you, the spiritual strength I gain in those early hours is absolutely incomparable to an extra hour of shut-eye. Physical rest is important, but nothing compares to the supernatural energy, peace, and stamina that comes from sitting in His presence. Not to mention, the growth and deep closeness I am experiencing between myself and the Lord right now is beautiful. There is a sweetness in the quiet hours before the world wakes up where it feels like it’s just Him and me.

Cain, Abel, and Our Daily Leftovers

This is where the story of Cain and Abel hits home. In Genesis 4, we read that Cain brought an offering from the fruit of the ground. But Abel? Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. Abel gave God the first and the very best. God respected Abel’s offering, but He did not respect Cain’s (Genesis 4:3-5).

Often, we read that story and think of ancient altars. But we do the exact same thing with our days. When we only give God the scraps of our time—the sleepy ten minutes before we pass out at night, or the quick “help me” prayers while we rush out the door—we are offering Cain’s offering. We are giving Him our leftovers and asking Him to bless it.

The Word

“Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase.”

The firstfruits of my day belong to Him. Early morning is my first and my best.

Disciplining the Flesh

So, the question before me, and maybe before you today, is this: Are we going to give God our first and best at the beginning of the day, or give Him what is left over if we find the time?

No. I refuse to give my Creator my leftovers. I have to keep my appointment with God, because He is my LIFELINE. Why would I ever skip that? But waking up at 5:00 AM is hard. The flesh screams for another hour of sleep. That is why this isn’t a matter of motivation; it’s a matter of spiritual discipline. I have to train my body to obey my spirit. As the Apostle Paul famously wrote:

The Word

“But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

Just like an athlete trains, we have to discipline our physical bodies. When the alarm goes off at 5:00 AM, my spirit has to rule over my flesh. The sacrifice of sleep is nothing compared to the reward of His presence.

I want to encourage you today: don’t run on empty. Let’s make a commitment to bring the “firstfruits” of our morning to the Father. Let’s wake up, brew that warm drink, open the Word, and watch how He fills our cups to overflowing (Psalm 23:5).