First Month, First Things, First Fruits

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: First Month, First Things, First Fruits

Promises tend to mean very little in the world. Most of us have experienced the disappointment of broken promises far too often to believe promises are more than just empty words. But God is the Rock who always keeps His promises. He can truly be depended on at all times, throughout all situations. I want to share with you the truth behind a powerful “promise to come” in God’s Word.

First fruits is a principle of faith that God has established from the beginning. In Hebrew, it is the word bikkurim, and it literally means “a promise to come.” First fruits means the first in place, order or rank; the beginning, chief or principle thing.

One of the most powerful principles of God’s Word is that of first fruits. It is the principle of one for many. Let me back up for a second by sharing the saying that ‘the Old Testament is the New concealed, and the New Testament is the Old revealed.’ Most of what we see in the Old Testament is a “type and shadow” of what was to come in the New Testament – Jesus Christ’s Lordship and the Kingdom of God.

In the Old Testament, Exodus 23:19 says this:

“The first of the firstfruits of thy land shalt you bring into the house of the Lord your God.”
Exodus 22:29 states:

“Thou shall not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt you give unto me.”

Besides these verses, there are several other specific first things God designates as being His in the Old Testament. People were supposed to offer the best of their “first things” to God. God refers to these as “devoted things.” Leviticus 27:28-29 says:

“Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the Lord of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord. None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed: but shall surely be put to death.”
The Lord was saying that every ‘devoted thing’ is most holy to Him. That means the same as marked and put aside as a first fruit. God also told Israel to mark and set apart for Him every male first fruit of the womb. Pay attention to that type and shadow. God’s intention was to get across to humanity this idea of the first of every significant thing to be devoted to Him, so that the rest of these things to follow would be blessed.
. . . CONTINUE TOMORROW

LET US PRAY,
LORD HELP US TO MAKE YOU FIRST IN ALL THAT WE OWN, DO AND PLAN IN JESUS NAME

GOOD MORNING FRIENDS