“Bring the best of your first fruits
of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.”
Exodus 23:19
“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all
your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your
vats will brim over with new wine.”
Proverbs 3:9-10
Dear People of Hope,
2008 is the year of new beginnings in our lives and in the church.
There is incredible excitement and renewed commitment at the Ray
on all levels as we focus our attention on being Saved to Serve!
I am blessed and encouraged by the enthusiasm and level of commitment
that you are exhibiting during this Season of Lent. The fact that
many of you are fasting and praying, reading the Word daily, witnessing
without fear, and serving without need for recognition says to me
that we have reached a new level of maturity as a church. You indeed
want to be a church that makes a difference in the world, a church
that impacts and transforms this present world into the Kingdom of
God. I am convinced more than ever that we are ready to go to the
next level of ministry; the next level of living and giving.
As Christians, we are saved or redeemed by the blood of the crucified
Christ, therefore, God makes certain claims on us that require us
to “take the limits off” in every area of our lives,
particularly as we relate to Him. This will require that we be willing
to devote to God all that we are and all that we have, giving God
our best.
The chosen people of God, Israel, understood this concept of giving
God their best. For them it was epitomized in the whole notion of
the firstfruit. The concept of the firstfruit is about putting the
Kingdom first by making God the supreme and sovereign ruler of one’s
life.
Giving God the firstfruit means giving Him the first hour of the
day when you awaken if we are discussing time, or prime time, when
you are at your best, the first portion of your paycheck if we are
talking about income or money. The firstfruit is considered the best,
the most excellent, of the highest quality.
For the Israelites, the firstfruit represented the first of the
harvest. They were expected to celebrate the Feast of the Harvest
with the firstfruit of the crops they harvested from their fields.
The Feast of the Harvest was during Passover or the beginning of
the grain harvest, which happens at the same time as our Easter,
when we celebrate Christ as the firstfruit of those raised from the
dead.
When the Israelites presented their firstfruit in the Temple, the
harvest was just beginning. They were to take the first of the crop
to appear and present it to God. They gave it without knowing what
the rest of the crop would look like, whether or not it would be
substantial enough to meet their needs and the needs of their family.
God was asking them to give Him what belonged to Him off the top,
before they took care of their other responsibilities. This level
of sacrificial giving would not only impact but secure the rest of
the harvest. They were to bring the firstfruit knowing that God is
a God of His Word. When we bring the firstfruit, God has promised
to bless the rest of the harvest or our income in an incredible way.
This Easter, March 23rd, I am asking you to bring a firstfruit offering
which is the equivalent of one week’s pay or your best gift
to the Lord to further the work of Kingdom building in this place.
Thank you for your partnership with me in the Gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Loving Him and you more and more each day!
Cynthia L. Hale
Senior Pastor
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