The Firstfruits

 I am not much of a gardener. Back when we were first married I had a garden. I grew some potatoes, green beans, and corn, along with the tomatoes and peppers. We enjoyed it a lot, especially the new potatoes. I can still remember going out and digging up the first ones and bringing them in for Chris to boil. Then, we added a little butter and salt for a tasty feast.

Nehemiah and the people of Israel made a covenant with the Lord that they would stay faithful to Him after all of the times they had been in rebellion. Of course, they said they would keep the Sabbath, but also they had other ordinances. (Nehemiah 10:35) They made ordinances to bring the Firstfruits of the ground and of all the fruit of all the trees to the house of the Lord year by year. This was to support the ministry and show their faith in the Lord.

Today, when we give the first of our income to the Lord, we are deciding to give Him the best, right off the top. God is always worthy of our best. In all we do, we should do it as to the Lord, and we should do it to the best of our ability. This really honors God in the right way. That is why we are to give our Firstfruits to the Lord all of the time. Then, His ministry will be well sustained and blessed.

Also, giving the Firstfruits is a great sign of our faith in God. When we give the first of our income, we are trusting God to supply all of what we need. If we wait until the end of our pay period to see if we have anything left over before we give, we are not showing any faith in the Lord. Instead, we are showing that we are depending on ourselves. God just can't bless us when we treat Him that way.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Nehemiah 11-13.