First Fruits for God

As published in our October 23rd bulletin 

God wants to occupy first place in our lives – in our hearts and in our minds.  I call this the principle of “first fruits”.  Consider these firsts from the pages of scripture: 

• Ex 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me”.  In the very first of the 10 commandments, God insists on being first in our lives. 
• Acts 20:7 “On the first day of the week we came together…”  By meeting on the first day of the week, we offer God the “first fruits” of our week. 
• Ps 5:3 “Morning by morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; morning by morning I lay my requests before you…”  David offered the first part of every day to the LORD in prayer.  So should we. 
• Pr 3:9-10 “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
  then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”  In our culture, wealth is measured in dollars – not crops.  The principle is the same however.  Offer to the LORD the first part of your income.  He promises to bless you when you do. 

It is fitting that we offer the first and the best of all that we have to the LORD.  After all, everything we have comes from Him!  He deserves the first and the best of all we have (Ex 34:26).  Obey this principle of first fruits and see if the LORD will not abundantly bless you. 

Your Shepherds