Firstfruits

 

And why would we want to talk about firstfruits? Isn't that an Old Testament practice? 

Yes, you would be correct but, as is often the case with OT principles, there is a significant application for us in our current spiritual life.

First a history lesson. (Those of you with an aversion to anything historical, don't stop reading. It's important.) The firstfruits offering was first instituted in Leviticus 23. The people were to bring a sheath of grain from their first harvest to the priest who was to wave it before the Lord.

Then in Deuteronomy 26, the details get more specific. The first harvest of the crops were to be placed in a basket and presented to the priest. He would place the basket on the altar and then a whole liturgy was to be spoken by the people. It was very specific and when they finished, they bowed to the Lord. 

No grain was to be harvested before the firstfruits were offered. The significant part of this is that when they harvested that first crop, there was no guarantee that there would be more to harvest later on. Drought, locusts, hail and any number of other catastrophes could occur that would ruin their chances of a bountiful crop. The people had to trust that the Lord would provide for the rest. 

Don't miss that last sentence. They gave God the first and trusted Him with the rest. Put a pin in this and let's go the New Testament. Firstfruits is mentioned seven times, always symbolically because of one very important event.

Jesus fulfilled this firstfruits offering when He died for our sins. 

1 Corinthians 15:20 "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."

Subsequently, we as believers are considered the firstfruits of all creation.

James 1:18 "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth; that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created."

So let's pull this all together. Through Jesus, we are offered to the Father as a firstfruits offering. Our obligation is to give Him our best (our first) and trust Him to provide whatever we will need in the future. This includes our time, our money, and our talents. 

For me, this means that when I am reluctant to give of any of these things, I need to remember this firstfruits principle and not so be worried about how they will be replenished. That's God's job, not mine. 

Can I get an AMEN?

The Smells of the Seasons

 

I love the smell of spring. The different smells from flowers, trees, and fresh cut grass all mingle together to create an amazing fragrance. 

Summer just smells hot and sweaty. Fall tends to smell like moldy leaves and dust. Winter doesn't have a smell because everything is frozen. But spring....that's a whole different experience. And I'm not talking about the manmade smells like pumpkin spice or cinnamon. These are the smells of nature and spring just brings a freshness to the air that no other season can claim. 

As I was taking a walk last night through our neighborhood and enjoying the sweet smells, I was reminded of the many times in the Bible that God considers our worship as a "sweet aroma." In the Old Testament, it was the smell of the sacrificial offerings being made. But in the New Testament, because Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice, our worship now becomes the aroma that pleases God. 

"For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." 2 Corinthians 2:15

All this made me think about my own worship and how it smells to God. Which season does it resemble the most? What fragrance do others smell on me? Spiritually, not physically, of course. The latter could be iffy at times. But spiritually, we Jesus followers should give off an aroma of love, peace, joy and all the other fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5. 

So enjoy the smell of Spring while it lasts but let's make our spiritual fragrance last all year. 

Routinization

 

Routinization.

I wasn't sure if that was even a word. Surprisingly, it is and not surprisingly, it means "the state of becoming routine."

Routines are good. They help us feel safe and in control. This is especially true for children. We are all creatures of habit by nature. Need to be convinced? 

What pew do you sit in every Sunday? Where do you put your keys, coat, purse, etc. when you come home?  Does your family all sit in the same place at the dinner table?

Like I said, routines can be a good thing. However, they can also lead to some bad habits. A second definition of routine is "a boring state or situation in which things are always done the same way."

Routines in our spiritual life is one area where it can become dangerous. When we learn how but forget why. Routinization. 

We do it in our worship at times. Have you ever sung the words of a familiar song but didn't really think about what you were singing?  Have you ever read or recited a familiar scripture without truly ingesting the full meaning? And what about your prayer life? Ever find yourself saying basically the same thing? Imagine if your spouse said the same thing to you every day in exactly the same way. You might eventually stop listening or at least begin to think he or she doesn't really mean what they are saying.

I'm not saying we can't sit in the same pew on Sundays or that God won't listen to our prayers if we say the same thing. It's more about us then it is about God's response. Is my worship from my heart or just from my mouth? 

Over and over in the Bible we are told to "sing a new song." Psalm 33:3, 96:1, 98:1, 144:9, 149:1 just to name a few. God wants our worship to be fresh and meaningful, not stale and routine. 

Something to think about, huh. 

Of Sheep and Shepherds

We tend to think of sheep as one of the dumbest animals. However, if you look it up, sheep are not actually included in the top ten. (Yes, I looked it up. Which proves you can find just about anything on the internet.) 

Here are some more interesting facts about sheep and shepherds, whether you care to know or not...

Some shepherds would count their flocks every night to be sure they were all there but often times the shepherd didn't need to count them. As they would herd them into the fold, the shepherd was able to "feel" the absence of even one of his sheep. The appearance of the flock would be "off." Many shepherds named their sheep and would call them all by name. 

The sheep became to know the shepherd's voice and would come when they just called out. Smaller herds would sometimes join together at night in the fold. Then in the morning, each shepherd would call their own sheep out of the fold. Imagine hundreds of sheep milling around but only those that belonged to that particular shepherd would come out. They knew their master's voice and trusted him to lead them safely.

The scriptures mention sheep and shepherds more than 600 times in the Bible. The use of this topic was so common because not only were the people of that time able to relate to it but it also gave (and still gives us) a perfect picture of how the Lord wants us to respond to His voice.

"Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep...."I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved."  John 10:7-8

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me." John 10:14

We are to know His voice as completely as the sheep know their master's voice. So how do we do that?

It's all about relationship. Think about all the people you would know just by their voice. Why do you not have to see them to recognize who it is? Because you have a relationship with them. You've spent time with them. You've talked with them extensively. 

Sounds like what we're called to do in our relationship with Jesus, right? I guess the internet was correct in their assessment of sheep and their intelligence. Let's be like sheep and follow our shepherd wherever He leads. 

> Trials = > Faith

 Yes,  I know the title is not proper math but if you follow my thought process, it might make some sense.

When there have been trials come into my life, I find myself waiting and wishing for things to get back to "normal." However, God's view of trials is much different. 

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.." James 1:2

This verse tends to strike us as a pie-in-the-sky, fantasy island kind of an attitude. After all, what does James know about my trials? If he knew, what I have to put up with, this should read more like, "Consider it pure inconvenience/frustration/pain/annoyance whenever you face trials of many kinds."  Right??

Let's take a look at James, the brother of Jesus. 

James was a leader in Jerusalem  He lead the church for 30 years during which the Jesus followers were "a community in crisis." They were persecuted and impoverished. This was the group of people James was in charge of.  I believe he knew a thing or two about trials. Despite all of this, he penned this second verse, the one we really don't want to accept. 

Trials expose the authenticity of our faith. When we face trials, we discover immediately something about our faith. What we truly believe becomes abundantly clear by our responses and reactions. 

"When circumstances deteriorate, artificial, counterfeit and what's-in-it-for-me faith deteriorates right along with it." Max Lucado

The good news is that there can be joy in discovering how real our faith really is. When we face trials, we will discover something about our faith and about God. Trials automatically exercise our faith. 

Faith is not how we get God to do stuff. It isn't a superpower. Faith is the confidence that God will do everything He promised. Faith demonstrates and produces something. 

Perseverance. 

But in order for perseverance to be a benefit, we must allow it to finish its work. We can't leave early or stop believing. The one thing that we want removed may be the one thing God has chosen to use. The tension in our lives may be the epicenter of God's activity. 

Trials are never fun or easy but they do have a purpose. Instead of praying for the trial to end and things to be normal again, what might happen if we prayed for the trial to change us to be more Christ-like? God can use great trials to grow great faith if we change our perspective and surrender to His will.

Living Intentionally

 Driving through my neighborhood this past fall, the brilliance of the trees' colors caught my attention. I noticed that the really colorful reds, oranges and yellows seemed to be evenly dispersed throughout. I didn't see any of the same color together. My neighborhood is over 40 years old so I began to wonder if the original developers did that intentionally when they planned the landscaping. Did they consider what the neighborhood would look like in the fall 40 years later?

To do something with intent means to do it with "purpose; to set something up as an end to be attained." In Latin the word intent means "the art of stretching out." So living intentionally means that I am living with the end in mind. I am stretching out my thinking to include more than just the present. 

Animals do this instinctively all the time. Squirrels spend the fall gathering nuts to get ready for winter. Some breeds of dogs grow a heavier coat to prepare for colder weather. Many birds fly south for the winter. Some will fatten up in anticipation of limited food. The animal kingdom doesn't have to be told to do these things. They know what the future will be like and prepare for it. It is intentional. 

So what does the Bible have to say about living intentionally? 

"Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the Lord's will is." Ephesians 5:15-17 (NIV)

It looks like Paul wants us to understand that as Christians we are not called to be passive. We are to "make the most of every opportunity."  Grace Esedeke puts it this way, "Being intentional is knowing why you do something, making a decision to do it and planning on how to get it done."

In Suzy Welch's book, "10-10-10", she suggests that all decisions we make should be based on these three questions: What are the consequences of my decision in 10 minutes? In 10 months? In 10 years? In most instances, the long term consequence wins as you realize that short term consequences don't make the impact that long term ones do. 

Living with the end in mind. 

If we add eternity to Suzy's  10-10-10 concept, we begin to see what the Bible is talking about. Are the things I think are important right now still be important 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years from now? How will the decisions I make today affect eternity; for me, those I love and those I come in contact with?  Am I living with eternity in mind? 

Definitely things to think about. 

Legacy

 I've had to attend way too many funerals/memorial services/celebrations of life lately. Rightfully, the central theme of all of them is what that person meant to other people; family, friends, acquaintances. Everyone sharing memories, sharing positive attributes of that person. Of course, we all realize that no one is perfect but everyone focuses on the positive things about the person who has passed. I've never been to a funeral where someone got up and declared what a dirty, rotten scoundrel the individual was. Obviously I'm not suggesting that we should do that but it made me start thinking about what I will leave behind when I'm gone; my legacy.

Legacy is an interesting word. I was somewhat surprised by the variety of definitions which included wills, membership to organizations and outdated computer systems. The only one that really meant what I thought it would was "something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past." 

My curiosity made me wonder what the Bible had to say about legacy. I found nothing. Zip, Zilch, Nada. However, it has a lot to say about heritage. And the main idea of heritage in the Bible is what is stored up for us in Heaven. 

"According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading." 1 Peter1:3-4

Okay, so instead of sitting around here wondering what kind of a legacy I will leave behind, I need to be focusing on the heritage that awaits me. And not surprisingly, if I concentrate on the eternal and not the physical, my legacy will take care of itself. I won't have to work at it. I won't have to worry about whether I am going to be remembered well. My legacy will be obvious because my heritage is guaranteed when I live my life walking in God's will. 

Thank you for the reminder, Lord. 

Whatever We Ask

 Imagine that Johnny Morris handed you a credit card and said to buy whatever you want. Johnny is worth something like $5.7 billion so money is no object. Even if you spent $1 million a day, that's still only a drop in the bucket to his billions. Think of all the things you could do with that kind of money!

Of course, there's a catch. Isn't there always? 

The money you spend must further the success of his business. Okay, that dampens the excitement a bit, right?

Jesus tells us in John 15:7 that we can "...ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!" Sounds great, doesn't it? And He makes this promise over and over again. 

"...so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for..." John 15:16

"...I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request..." John 16:23

"...Ask,...and you will receive..." John 16:24

Over and over again, Jesus says, ask, ask, ask. But just as in our scenario with Johnny Morris, there is a catch. There's more to this asking command. Here's the catch:

"using my name."  "because you use my name."  "so that the Son may bring glory to the Father." "in order to bear much fruit and therefore glorify the Father."  "so that our joy may be complete." (John 15:16, 16:23, 16:24, 14:13, 15:8 respectively) 

This should change the focus of our requests. When I ask, am I asking in the context of how this can further God's kingdom? When I frame my prayers, am I framing them around what will glorify God? When I ask for a specific answer, will that answer add to the success of His kingdom? 

Are my prayers for financial provisions so that I can help more people hear about Him? Are my prayers for healing so God can be glorified? What if I pray for the removal of a struggle but God is using these struggles to grow my faith? When I don't get the answer I want, do I accept that God may have a higher purpose? 

These are questions that should change the focus of our prayers.

The CEO of the Kingdom of God has handed us a credit card with an unlimited limit. He tells us to ask and we will receive. The only catch is that it must advance His interests. What will we do with it?