Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord,I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

-Habakkuk 3:17–19 (NIV)

‘Direction, not intention determines destination.’

Kickstart reminds us that we will not just drift into places we desire to go: We must make decisions that lead to these destinations.

If we want to know Jesus and experience abundant life, we must engage the spiritual disciplines of Scripture, prayer and worship to pursue Him above all else.

...yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

-Habakkuk 3:18 (NIV)

Habbakuk is describing an economic disaster.

How do we deal with life when economic scarcity comes?

When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name and say to the priest in office at the time, ‘I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.’ The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: ‘My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.’ Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.

-Deuteronomy 26:1–11 (NIV)

...take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket.

-Deuteronomy 26:2 (NIV)

You do not wait until it all comes in and then decide what you can give. That’s “last fruits.”

God claims First Fruits.

First Principle: You should give sacrificially—not just out of surplus.

If you wait until everything is in, you end up giving God the surplus.

Surplus: what you can afford to give without changing the way you want to live.

The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. Then you shall declare before the Lord your God:

-Deuteronomy 26:4–5a (NIV)

I only have what I have because of the staggering generosity of God—the grace of GOD. Therefore, I give this gift to Him—for His purposes in His world.

Connect the grace of God to the gift so that you will want to give cheerfully.

Second Principle: You should give joyfully - not just out of duty.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

-Matthew 6:21 (NIV)

Jesus is saying that whatever your heart most treasures will be the place your money goes most effortlessly.

You will always spend joyfully on what your heart most treasures.

This is how you know if your relationship with God is just an abstract or whether you have experienced His grace.

If you can’t give sacrificially and joyfully, that tells you there is something wrong with your heart and your relationship with God.

Habakkuk asks the question: What if there are no first fruits?

What if God is not providing any food at all and we are about to starve?

Habakkuk says, “I want you to know that it is possible that even in those situations it is possible to make God your treasure and rest your heart in God and even be joyful.”

Notice: You do not rejoice in the circumstances.

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord,I will be joyful in God my Savior.

-Habakkuk 3:17–18 (NIV)

If you have Jesus, you have everything you will ever truly need.

Habakkuk says that he can rejoice even when God has taken everything away from him.

When I try to be like Habakkuk, I am miserable! However, I am not supposed to be like Habakkuk. I am supposed to be like the One to whom Habakkuk points!

Costly Grace

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

-John 1:29 (ESV)

All giving is a recapitulation of the Gospel!

When you see that His grace for you is costly, you will take Him into your heart and make Him your treasure. When Jesus becomes your treasure, giving will not be a problem.

Christ-followers give under any and all circumstances.

• They do not give because of guilt or pressure.

• They give joyfully, sacrificially and graciously because that’s what they want to do more than anything else.

First: You should give sacrificially—not just out of surplus.

Secondly: You should give joyfully—not just out of duty.

Third Principle: You should give graciously—not just out of guilt.

As we Kickstart 2026—Do the right thing! Set aside your first fruits” as a testimony to your appreciation for what God has done in your life.

Make a Decision