Giving the Firstfruits to God
In Deuteronomy 26 Moses gave the Israelites God's command to give Him the firstfruits of their harvest. He even told them what to do and to say when they made their offering to God. (Deuteronomy 26:10) I hope all of us will read this passage and consider why we need to bring the Lord the firstfruits of our income to Him today, too.
Giving the first of what we receive is an act of thankfulness. It shows God that we know what we have received came to us through His blessing. Therefore, we need to acknowledge His goodness and thank Him for blessing us. Offering our firstfruits regularly keeps us thankful before the Lord.
The firstfruits offering is an act of faith in God. It shows God that we trust Him to enable us to bring in the rest of the harvest and to meet our needs with what remains. That is an active faith. By giving the first of what we receive and not the last, if any is left over, we are not just saying we trust God, we are demonstrating it to Him and to others. He blesses us for that type of faith.
Finally, we worship the Lord through giving our firstfruits. We glory Him for being our Provider and the One who is Able to take care of all of us. It shows that we know God is faithful and the Rewarder of those who trust Him. (Hebrews 11:6) David said that he would not worship the Lord in a way that did not cost Him anything. (II Samuel 24:24) When we offer costly gifts to God as worship, it shows Him the depth of our worship and love for Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Deuteronomy 29-31.
Giving the first of what we receive is an act of thankfulness. It shows God that we know what we have received came to us through His blessing. Therefore, we need to acknowledge His goodness and thank Him for blessing us. Offering our firstfruits regularly keeps us thankful before the Lord.
The firstfruits offering is an act of faith in God. It shows God that we trust Him to enable us to bring in the rest of the harvest and to meet our needs with what remains. That is an active faith. By giving the first of what we receive and not the last, if any is left over, we are not just saying we trust God, we are demonstrating it to Him and to others. He blesses us for that type of faith.
Finally, we worship the Lord through giving our firstfruits. We glory Him for being our Provider and the One who is Able to take care of all of us. It shows that we know God is faithful and the Rewarder of those who trust Him. (Hebrews 11:6) David said that he would not worship the Lord in a way that did not cost Him anything. (II Samuel 24:24) When we offer costly gifts to God as worship, it shows Him the depth of our worship and love for Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Deuteronomy 29-31.