January 27, 2014 - Monday

Start Time: 5:52 A.M.

End Time: 6:22 A.M.

Title: Firstfruits and Tithes

Scripture: Deuteronomy 26:1 – 19

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.”The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.

NOTES:

Ø God is a God who delights in our testimonies!  God longs to hear us declare His goodness, His love, and His grace!  He wants us to testify and set a time to bring Him our firstfruits and tithes and declare the victories He has given us!  The value or the amount of the firstfruits or tithes is not important.  In the passage above, you notice that there was no mention of how big the basket is or how much produce should one bring to the Lord.  In fact, it only says, “take some”…so the value of your firstfruits is not about the measure or value of what you give, but it is in the declaration of God’s goodness, God’s love, God’s grace, God’s victories to us.  The greater importance of the firstfruit celebration is in the words of our testimonies; it is in our declaration of God’s wondrous love for us and His actions that touched and moved our hearts to praise and worship Him!  Hallelujah!  Thank You Lord for my testimonies are far valuable to you than the value of the firstfruit I offer.  Thank You Jesus!

→When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. Then say to the Lord your God: “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them. I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while I was in mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have done everything you commanded me. Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

NOTES:

Ø God is a God who wants us to declare our obedience and ask for His blessings!  God, in the passage above, clearly instructed His people to give their tithes and once they have fulfilled it, they are to tell the Lord of what they did (meaning declare their obedience to His word) and then tell God to bless them or in short, take the blessings they deserve!  God said that the tithe is His and when we do this, He is to open the heavens and bless us.  So now God wants us to take or tell Him what we ought to have.  Stand on it and never doubt that the blessing is ours!  Not because we obeyed literally but because God made a promise and He is true to His words no matter what.  So when we do give our tithes, we declare to God our obedience (not boast on it because it is thru God’s grace and will that we are able to give our tithes). 

→The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him. And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.

NOTES:

Ø God is a God who promises and fulfills it! God is a God of promises and the great thing about Him is that He is able to fulfill every promise He made.  His promises are not dependent on our efforts or obedience, it is dependent on His identity, His sovereignty, His being, His words that never breaks! So after declaring our obedience, we are to receive the blessings He promised in faith.  Not because we fulfilled what was commanded to us but because God made a promise and when HE promises, He is sure to fulfill it!  Amen!  Amazing Lord!

Application / Realization:

Ø God wants to hear us confess His amazing love and goodness!  He delights in our testimonies; not only does our testimonies pleases the Lord, it also shuts down the enemy!  So declare God’s love and goodness all the time!  Not only that God wants us to declare His love and goodness, He also wants us to declare to Him our obedience to His words, not because of our own effort but because of His power and grace that we are able to fulfill our part!  God wants us to declare our obedience to Him because this also weakens the enemy because with God’s grace and strength, we are now able to stay in the light and live in faith in Christ – which throws the enemy’s power and authority to insert in our lives!  Hallelujah!  Also God wants us to ask and receive our blessings from Him!  The promises He made to us after we fulfill our part.  We are to test Him and be ready for the outpouring of His blessings!  Great Lord and King, showering His overflowing blessings in our lives because He has allowed us to obey His words!  Great and might Lord!  Everlasting Father and God, King and Savior of mankind!  You are truly marvelous!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, truly everything is because of You!  You set Your words, You gives us strength to obey it and You blesses us!  Truly when You take care of Your people, You take care of everything, every little details from the coming in and going out; from the start to finish; from the beginning till the end!  I am so grateful that You are my Lord and God.  I am truly blessed that You have welcomed me dearly into Your family and I am so overwhelmed with Your goodness and grace that just runs thru my life every day.  Thank You Lord, Thank You Father, Thank You Jesus, Thank You Holy Spirit!  Continue to enable me Lord to obey and fulfill my part and I declare my obedience in You Jesus and ask for Your outpouring of blessings in every aspect of my life in faith!  Hallelujah!  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!