Question:
Should we give the first-fruits always to the Lord or just sometimes?

Answer:
When deciding how much the Lord wants us to give to Him each week, we should give Him the “first-fruits.” We should give Him and His interests first consideration regarding dividing up our income. For the Scriptures instruct us to: “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:2). The Lord directs us to have systematic giving, and “not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Christians today are not told to give ten percent as the Jews were told in the Old Testament. The key words to help us discern how much the Lord wants us to give to Him are: “As God hath prospered him.” The thought is, “How much does the Lord mean to me this week?” The “poor widow” cast into the treasury of the temple but “two mites” but since it was “all her living,” the Lord valued it very highly for he said she had cast in more than everyone else (Mark 12:41-44).
We must consider first of all that we cannot give more than the Lord has entrusted to us. “If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not” (2 Corinthians 8:12). And we may have other responsibilities, bills that are due, and these should be paid, for we are to “owe no man anything” (Romans 13:8).It is very important that we set up a budget for our finances, and make sure the Lord gets His money first before other purchases. We may have to buy a cheaper car in order to give what is due to Him. But “with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:16).