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You may have noticed the term “first fruits” as you read the Bible. The dictionary definition of “first fruits” tells us that it is the first products or results of anything. It embodies the idea of “cream of the crop,” “putting your best foot forward,” “giving it your best shot.”
In the Old Testament Moses used the term first fruits when he was establishing the laws relating to sacrifices. God gave the law through Moses to guide the children of Israel, and they were to live by these laws very carefully. When Jesus the Messiah came, he fulfilled the law, and we no longer are required to practice those rituals and sacrificial offerings, which foreshadowed Jesus Christ.
However, we can learn a great deal from those laws and use them as guiding principles in our own lives. And this principle of bringing the first fruits is certainly one that is applicable to us. In Exodus 23 Moses was giving instructions about the three annual festivals which were to be observed each year, and one of those was the Feast of Harvest. This was a festival to celebrate their crops, very similar, I would think, to the original meaning of our Thanksgiving Day celebration.
For this Feast of Harvest, Moses clearly instructed the people to bring the first fruits of their crops, the best of the fruits of their soil. In other words, leftovers were definitely out. They must bring to God their best and keep for themselves what was left over.
Now, you and I don’t bring crops to the Lord—at least not many of us do. I can tell you that on my trips to Kenya, I have often been in church meetings where people brought their crops as an offering. But most of us don’t bring crops to God as a thank offering. So, what are the things we bring to God as a thank offering, to give to him for use in his service? The first thing that comes to mind is time. What would it mean to us to bring the first fruits of our time? Well, I think that it means, in part, to start each day by giving God those early moments, those first moments.
The Psalmist wrote: “Satisfy me in the morning with your unfailing love, that I may sing for joy and be glad all day long” (Psalm 90:14). And again, “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation“(Psalm 5:3). I have those two verses written on the first page of my prayer journal, to remind me of how important it is to spend those first fruit hours with the Lord.
In my Bible study entitled “A Guide on Getting to Know God,” I suggest a challenge to give God the first hour of your day. At a time in my life when I desperately needed help to make it through the day, God taught me this principle, which has made a huge difference in my life. That habit of bringing to God the first hour of my day has been life-changing for me.
Tell me, what is your first hour like each day? Wait ’til the last minute to put your feet on the floor, and then rush and dash to get to work on time? The way you start your day sets the pattern for how that day will go, for what you will think about during the day. It is true that your day is won or lost in the morning hours. I want to strongly encourage you to be willing to give God the first fruits of your day, that first bright hour.
Now, I can hear some of you saying to me, “But, Mary, I need my sleep!” And that’s absolutely right; you do. So, maybe you have to get to bed a little earlier, huh? Or maybe you’re thinking, “An hour is too much. I can’t spare an hour.” Well, there’s no law that says it has to be an hour, but you can’t rush in and out of God’s presence with your shopping list, like the local supermarket, and expect that to make any difference in your life. That’s not giving God first fruits; when we rush in and out it’s another form of leftovers for God. It’s been my experience that an hour is a good starting place but if that seems too much, then start with half an hour.
If you don’t have an hour for God, how is it you have an hour for television? If you can’t spare an hour to spend with God, where do you find time for all that extra-curricular reading you do, or socializing, or shopping? There are few of us who can honestly claim that we don’t have an hour each day to spend with God. Most of our excuses really don’t hold water.
I can’t emphasize enough the blessing you have in store for you when you incorporate this first fruit principle into your life. God deserves your best, not leftovers. Give him the first hour of your day.
Do you give God the first fruits of your talents and gifts? All of us have gifts and abilities, many of which we have developed through our jobs. Are you giving God a portion of those abilities? For example, over my career I was trained by some of the best companies in the skills of selling and making presentations. Now, as I see it, that is no accident; I’ve had all this experience, at the expense of my employer, to develop talents and gifts which now can be used in God’s kingdom.
What are the abilities you’ve been developing over the last few years? Computer skills? Managing or accounting? I think of a couple who gave up their well-paying jobs here in Chicago to take a two-year missions assignment in Papua, New Guinea. Linda used her accounting skills and greatly helped the missionaries in that area, and Wayne did some incredible things with his computer skills to help spread the gospel very effectively. They’ve given back to God the first fruits of those abilities, and God has richly blessed them.
What about your money? Ouch! That’s probably not the most comfortable topic, is it? But think: do you give God the first fruits of your money, or just the leftovers? Do you give to God first, or wait to see what you have left before you decide what you’ll give God?
You and I know it’s not easy for us to part with our money. Jesus taught us that money has power and control, and we can’t serve God and Money, so we have to choose. One way to weaken the control of money in your life is to give it away, and to give to God first, before you pay the bills.
Yeah, that’s what I said. Give to God for his work before you pay the bills. That’s scary, isn’t it? But until we give God the first fruits of our money, money will control us. Keep in mind that giving to God can take many different forms. Certainly, you should be faithfully supporting the church you attend and other ministries which are helpful to you. But in addition, you can help individuals who need money. Just give them some of your money. No IRS deduction, no records to show you’ve given, but God knows.
So, in these three key areas, are you giving God the first fruits or leftovers? Leftover time, leftover energy and abilities, leftover money? If God is getting the leftovers, that has to tell you something about who and what is most important in your life, don’t you think? If God is getting the leftovers, you’re missing the great blessings that are yours when you practice the principle of first fruits.
You know, God didn’t give us leftovers, did he? He sent his Son, his only Son, who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born over-all creation, as we read in Colossians. God sent us his First fruit; the One who was in the beginning with God. No second-string redeemer would do; only the best, the first, Jesus Christ. Can we do less?
You remember the story as recorded in Luke 19 where Jesus sent the disciples to Bethany to get a colt for him to ride into Jerusalem. When the owner of the colt asked why the disciples were taking the animal, the disciples replied, “The Lord needs it.” And without a word the owner untied his colt and gave it to the Lord.
That colt represented something important to that man; he had bought it for his own use and had it all tied up and ready to go. Perhaps he was planning to ride it himself or put a heavy load on its back to carry for him. No doubt he had plans and purposes to use that colt.
But when he found out that Jesus wanted to use it, no questions asked, he relinquished that first fruit, his own personal colt, so that it would be available for Jesus to use. Maybe as a result he had to walk or carry those heavy burdens himself. Undoubtedly, he was somewhat inconvenienced by not having that colt available to him. But never mind that; he wanted Jesus to have his colt, his first fruit, without reservation.
What do you have tied up that the Lord wants to use? Have you got resources and abilities that God really wants to use in his service, but they’re all tied up? Are you using them for your own selfish purposes, and then after you use them for yourself, you offer God the leftovers?
Suppose the owner of that colt had insisted that he had to use the colt first before giving it to Jesus. Suppose he had said, “Look, I’m glad to let Jesus use my colt, but first I’ve got to take a trip to the next town and I need that colt. I can’t walk it with all these bundles I have to carry. So, after I get back from my trip, you can have the colt.”
Suppose he had given Jesus leftovers? Well, first of all, it would probably have meant the colt couldn’t be used at all because the parade would have been over. But even if he could get back in time, that colt might not feel like walking in a parade after doing all that other work. Leftovers can be pretty tired and lifeless, don’t you think?
No, he gave God his first fruits. And as a result, he was blessed to have the King of kings ride his colt in his one and only parade. Wow, he wouldn’t have missed that for anything. I’m sure he was so glad he gave God the first fruits and not the leftovers.
What have you got tied up today that the Lord wants to use? Will it be worth giving to Jesus when you’ve finished using it for yourself? Will you have anything left over for him, and will it be worthy of him? Does Jesus get your leftover time and abilities and money?
If so, you’ve probably noticed that there’s not much leftover to give. Our enemy will see to that. But when you give first fruits, you’ll discover that what you have leftover is more than adequate for your needs and goes much further than you ever dreamed it would.
It’s amazing how this principle of first fruits works. We give God the best, the first, the cream of the crop, before we meet our other needs, and then we discover that the leftovers which we saved for ourselves aren’t leftovers at all. They are blessings more than enough, full and running over. But if we give God the leftovers, we never seem to have enough for ourselves and nothing left to give God.
I hope you’ll make it your goal to practice this principle of giving God the first fruits. Pray daily and purpose to give him the first, the best, and not the leftovers. And let me know what happens. I’d love to hear how God blesses you with joy and meets all your needs, as I know he will.