THE POWER OF FIRST FRUIT, PART 1
“If
ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:” Isa 1:19 (KJV)
How feasible is this scripture
considering the harsh economic and lingering financial global melt-down
witnessed in all parts of the world? The scriptures cannot be broken; you can
eat the best of the land this year if only you can pay attention to the truth
of this message. What does the first fruit mean and does it have any Biblical
backing?
"We promise to bring the first part of every harvest to
the Lord's Temple year after year—whether it be a crop from the soil or from
our fruit trees.” Neh 10:35 (NLT)
God is so passionate and particular
about the "first"; be it fruit, crop, seed, child (be it a son
or a daughter), etc. The implication of this is that for any first son/daughter
to have headway in life, such must take seriously what God takes seriously.
When you take for granted what is dear to God, you might continue to struggle
with the issues of your life. If God is the Alpha, then He is interested in the
first of all that belongs to you i.e. money, property, million, first
everything. Anything that comes first, God is interested in it and He wants it
because it belongs to him.
"Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil to the
house of the Lord your God...” Ex 23:19
(NIV)
God desires the first in or of whatever
He blesses you with. Each time you relegate God to the background in the issues
of your life, He also will do same for you. The Bible says in (Psalm
18:26) “With the pure thou wilt
shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.” You can only in the same
measure what you give to God. He said to the cunning, He will
show Himself to be cunning and to the man that is wayward, God will show
Himself wayward to him. The implication of the statement above is that any man
that puts God first, He is the one that God will consider first in matters
involving the issues of life. So this year if you want to enjoy God’s best, you
need to put God first. If as the first born of your parents and you neglect to
pay heed to this truth, you might struggle through life while your mates who
have good understanding of this truth cruise through destiny with ease; after
all the Bible says:
“…the people who know their God shall prove themselves
strong and shall stand firm and do exploits [for God].” D an 11:32 (AMP)
The first set of everything that God
allows to pass through your hands belongs to Him; God asked Abraham to give Him
the first fruit (which was his only son) and he obeyed and the blessings that
followed afterward was beyond human description:
"Take your son," God said, "your only son,
Isaac, whom you love so much, and go to the land of Moriah. There on a mountain
that I will show you, offer him as a sacrifice to me." Gen 22:2 (GNT)
God you want my first fruit. Abraham
did not dialogue on this important issue with his wife Sarah but he went
head-long to obey the instruction God gave him. Here lies the truth; until you
pass the test of first fruit your name might not be relevant to the coming
generation. As the Lord began to bless me, He gave me specific instructions
about every first breakthrough that happens in my life and ministry and today
the proofs are speaking. Beloved, nothing is too big for you to give your Creator;
the reason you are suffering now is because you are only concerned about
yourself not minding the Giver of the resources. This year, get ready to lay
your first fruit on the altar; do not ever think that when you lay it on the
altar you are helping the church or the Pastor, No! The church does not need
your help rather it is an avenue to keep the flow.
Hannah knew the secret too when she
prayed and it seemed as if God is late concerning her request but she
understood the mystery of the first fruit and went into agreement with God by
releasing the first fruit from her womb.
“And she made a vow, saying, "O Lord Almighty, if you
will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your
servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days
of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." 1 Sam 1:11 (NIV)
You are looking for a job now, can you
say, ‘God I will give you my first fruit’ and you will be surprised He will
compensate you in ways you least expected. God is a good business man, God is
not a consumer but He is a just rewarder.