First Fruits

Last night I was reading one of my favorite authors before bed: Tosca Lee's Havah: The Story of Eve. Something she wrote really made me think about how I spend my time with God.

She wrote a simple line about an observation Havah has concerning a sacrifice her son, Kayin, made. "It wasn't his first fruits." Simple. She went on to describe the beautiful and lush offering. That it was his best work that he gave. But it wasn't his first.

I wondered why. Why did it matter that it wasn't his first if it was his best?

It struck me why this morning that the first fruit is something God asks us for in our lives. It's putting Him before all the rest. Our best can never meet His best. It's all a pittance compared to His best. I imagine it's something like a kindergartener coming home with a scribble drawing that we display and praise. We go nuts over it because it is the joy in the gift that the child has done, not the skill in it or the beauty.

It struck me also that when I wait to spend time with God, my mind has not been with Him until that time. I start off with my mind wandering around the wilderness.

But if I offer Him my first fruit of my time, then it would be when I first wake. Hmm. Is there anything wrong with doing devotions at night? I don't think so. But now I am changing to understand (maybe He's nudging me to understand a concept) that my first fruit is in every part of my life and not just my tithe.

So here I am on this journey to understand and I think I'll change a little to give God the time to bring to fruition what He means by First Fruit. I'm going to try making the start of my day an offering of First Fruit.

I'm curious where He will lead. How about you?

Angie