God wants our first fruits. He wants us to give back a tithe or what he gives us, or 10%. He wants us to give it to him first, before anything else. If we give him the first fruits, the best fruits he will make that go so much further than we have ever imagined. What if we also did that with our time? What if we gave our first fruits... our first minutes of the day to God. What could that do in our lives?
I have in the past tried different things to get more time in with God. It almost seemed like I was doing it as a check list. In the beginning that is what I need to get myself in a habit, but it never made it down to my heart. I have heard that if it doesn't make it down to your heart than you aren't doing the right thing for you.
Things I have tried:
Reading 1 chapter of the bible with breakfast - it helped, but I didn't stick with it. Although we might try this again if I pick up a children's bible.
Getting up early to spend 30 minutes reading in the bible, praying and journaling - I was working full-time at the time, and this didn't help because I would fall asleep.
Morning Pages - I find that I communicate best with God when I am writing to him. Speaking I tend to just keep talking and I never stop to listen. When there is something I really want to pray about or over I write out my prayer - for the really big stuff I then read my prayer. There is power in the spoken word. This is by far my favorite thing to do to connect with God, but it is not something that I do consistently.I have found that if I spend sometime with God in the morning my days go better. I am starting my day looking to my heavenly Father. I am thanking him for everything he has given me, I talk to him about how I want my day to go, I remember to keep him present more throughout the day. I think about God more when I start my day with him.
I want to give Him my first fruits. What if I started my day with giving God 10 minutes? - praying, listening, just being with him first thing in the morning. Before I get the kids out of bed and the day jumps into action. I will time it so that I make sure God gets 10 full minutes. There will be mornings where I can give him more and I will cherish those mornings like I do now.
Where does God say He wants "our" firstfruits?
ReplyDeleteProverbs 3:9 (KJV) “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:”
The verse reads HONOUR the Lord with thy substance (wealth), not give to the Lord your wealth. The verse does not say honour the Lord with a tenth of your wealth, or give to the Lord a tenth of your wealth.
How does one honor the Lord with their wealth? I believe the best way I can honor the Lord with my wealth is to be a good steward of that wealth and use it to glorify the Lord the best I can.
The verse reads AND with the firstfruits of all thine increase. In other words, HONOUR the Lord with the firstfruits of all your produce, or crops (Hebrew word definition). Doesn’t say give to the Lord the firstfruits of your produce, or crops. That comes later in the Word.
For those who say that all thine increase can also mean all your income, read the next verse:
Proverbs 3:10 (KJV) “So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”
Verse 10 makes it clear that increase in verse 9 is referring to the crops and not income.
THE FIRST TITHE
Leviticus 27:30-33 defines this tithe as a tenth of crops and animals in herds and flocks.
Numbers 18 gives the ordinances, or instructions, for this tithe, and commands this tithe be taken to the Levites.
Purpose of this tithe: to support the Levitical Priesthood.
SECOND TITHE
Deuteronomy 14:22-27: aka The Festival Tithe - a tenth of crops, plus add to that the firstborn animals, and take for the yearly feast.
Purpose of this tithe: “that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always”
THIRD TITHE
Deuteronomy 14:28-29: aka The Three-Year Tithe aka The Poor Tithe - a tenth of crops, kept at home, and invite the Levites, widows, orphans, stranger to eat.
Purpose of this tithe: to feed the poor.
Now, tell me. Which of the above three tithes commanded by God does anyone follow today?
The ONLY people in the Old Testament that were commanded to tithe were those who INHERITED THE PROMISED LAND WITH EVERYTHING ON IT. They got the land, house, animals, crops, etc. ALL FREE AND CLEAR. No mortgage payment or rent to pay. And THEY were commanded to tithe on the crops and animals and take it to the Levites who INHERITED the tithe INSTEAD OF the promised land with everything on it. No one else tithed. Wage earners did not tithe. Jesus did not tithe as a carpenter. Paul did not tithe as a tent maker. Peter did not tithe as a fisherman.
Tithe was NEVER money, and NEVER came from anyone's income, yet the Temple Tax HAD to be paid with money.
The Biblical tithe wasn't the first of anything. It was the tenth. If you had 10 sheep, the tenth one was the tithe, whether it be good OR BAD. See Leviticus 27:32.
The New Testament teaches generous, sacrificial giving, from the heart, according to our means. For some, $1 might be a sacrifice, while for others, even giving 50% of their income might not induce a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, ONLY the farmers tithed, and it was a tenth. The New Testament teaches the principle of equal sacrifice instead of a tenth. Equal sacrifice is much harder to achieve, if not impossible, than giving a tenth.
OLD TESTAMENT
Proverbs 3:9 (KJV) “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:”
NEW TESTAMENT
2 Timothy 2:6 (KJV) “The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.”
1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV) “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
The New Testament makes it clear that we are to use the FIRST of our income to take care of ourselves and our family. We are talking about needs, here, not just anything we want. Then we should give generously from what is left.
See how church teachings conflict with God's Word?
Just stopping by to say hi. I hope you are having a good day.
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