Today’s Daily Bread ~ First Fruits

Proverbs 3:9-10 – Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

I have had such an interesting week with the Lord.

It seems as though every time I turn around, I meet someone who is really struggling with a specific worry that I too, have struggled with.  For instance, I’ve spent the majority of my life accessorizing myself with the black veil of insecurity.  When you’ve got your veil on, you can see, but you’re looking at life with a distorted view.  Everything that happens to you or everything that goes on is filtered through that dark veil.

Another example is this: Most of my teens and all of my 20s are stained with the pain of an eating disorder.  In the past week alone, I’ve met at least three women who have a daughter or close relative struggling with anorexia or bulimia. 

God is purposely placing people in my path who share very specific struggles that I have overcome through the power of the Holy Spirit.  In doing so, He is also giving me two specific words that He would have me share, and I feel led to share them with you as well.

Do you struggle with worry or anxiety?  Are you plagued by fear of the future?  Do you suffer from “what-if-itis?”  Then this is for you:

Don’t worry about what you’re supposed to be doing.  I have a plan, and it is better than yours.  All you have to do is this:  Be pliable clay.  Then the Lord gave me this message: “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to His clay?  As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand (Jeremiah 18:5-6).”

Take two things away from these verses:

1. You are never outside of the Father’s hands.  Never.  No matter how lonely, afraid or anxious you might feel, God has got you.  He’s got you.  What is on your heart today?  Trust in this – He is big enough to handle it.  He loves you, and He is always working for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
2. Don’t fight your Father.  He is always molding and shaping us.  Don’t resist.  It is not the job of the clay to tell the Potter what kind of pot it should be.  In order to be most effective, clay must remain pliable in the Potter’s hands; moving when the Potter says “move.”  Trust your Father’s vision for your life.  According to 1 Corinthians 2:9, That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.”  His vision for your life is beyond what you could imagine if you concentrate on being pliable clay.

The other word I feel led to share is found in Proverbs 3:9, Exodus 22:29, 23:19, 34:26, and Deuteronomy 26:26.  It’s found many, many times in the Bible, and it’s the concept of first fruits.

In these verses, God is telling His people that He wants the best of their grain and livestock.  He promises that, if they are faithful, they will receive more than their barns can hold.  In fact, this is the only issue in Scripture where we are invited to test the Lord.  Malachi 3:10 – “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple.  If you do,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will open the windows of heaven for you.  I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!  Try it!  Let me prove it to you!”

God is talking about money, and I feel strongly about the importance of living generous lives, supporting our churches, missions, and various ministries and charities.  But for the sake of today’s topic, I want to look at it in a slightly different way.

Meet me in the morning.  Set your alarm 20 or 30 minutes earlier each day. Give me the first fruits of your time.  Let me get to you before the worries of the day do.  I want to start each day seeking the Lord, letting Him speak to me and minister to me before life’s circumstances have a chance to knock me down.  I want to tuck His Word in my heart.  I want to view myself and others the way He does, and I need to do this on a daily, sometimes hourly basis.  I want to ask Him to bless me, guide me and cover me in His Presence.  Does that mean I won’t get rattled?  No.  But it means that whatever comes my way has to go through the Holy Spirit first.

God wants so much to bless us.  He wants to comfort and console us.  He wants to relieve us of our guilt and shame.  He wants to bear our burdens for us, and map out our paths ahead of us.  But He cannot do this unless we cooperate.  We must be pliable clay.  We should make every effort to give Him the first fruits of our time, our talents and our finances.  “If you do,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will open the windows of heaven for you.  I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!  Try it!  Let me prove it to you!”

Dear Heavenly Father, I am in awe that You, the God of the Universe, would invite us to test you on anything.  You love us so much, Father.  Some of us really struggle with feelings of worthlessness.  I can almost hear you saying, “Oh child.  Let me show you what you’re worth.  Behold, the spilled blood of My Son.”  Thank You, God.  Thank You.  So many of us struggle and strain against Your hands, trying desperately to mold and shape our lives.  Help us to be pliable clay.  Help us to give you the first fruit of each day.  Help us to lift the veil of insecurity.  Help us to receive Your healing touch.  We love You, Father.  We love You so much.  Help us to trust that Your design is divine; help us to simply concentrate on moving when You say, “Move.”  Touch our ears to hear the whispers of the Holy Spirit.  Touch our eyes to see ourselves and others as You do.  Touch our hands and feet that we might be quick to serve.  Touch our hearts that we would love as You love.  We pray these things with confidence, knowing that we are most certainly praying in Your will, and in the beautiful name of Your Son, our Savior, Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.