Tues.’s Devo - The First Fruits

Read: Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26; Luke 10:38-121:13; Psalm 76:1-12; Proverbs 12:15-17 When they came into the land God had promised for them they were to acknowledge it to the Lord by bringing their first fruits of their harvest to the Lord. They were to bring it in a basket and proclaim to the priest with this gift they acknowledge that they had entered into the land God had promised their ancestors. The priest would then take it from their hand and place it before the altar of the Lord. Then the person must proclaim the story of Abraham and how God gave them the land. Then they were free to go and celebrate all God had given them. ***Every third year, they were to bring an additional gift that would go to the Levites, foreigners, orphans and widows, so that they would have enough. The person had to proclaim over that gift that it was clean and that nothing had happened to make it unclean. Then they could ask the Lord to bless all Israel. *** Moses told them that when they crossed the Jordan they were to carry stones and put them in a heap. Then they were to coat them with plaster and write all the words of this law on them. Also, they were to build an altar with uncut stones and offer burnt offerings and peace offerings on it. There they were to celebrate all God had done or them. *** The tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin were to climb Mt. Gerizim and proclaim a blessing over the people. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali were to stand on Mt. Ebal and pronounce a curse. Then the Levites would shout to all the people of Israel the curses (vs. 15-26). *** In Luke, we read the story of Mary and Martha that we have heard over and over in many sermons. Everyone can relate to Martha. She is just doing what has to be done. She is keeping the ship afloat. But Jesus said that there was only one thing that was worth being concerned about and Mary had discovered it. It would not be taken from her. The spiritual is eternal but the natural is temporal. *** Jesus explained that further in his prayer he taught them. He acknowledged the Lord as his Father and the only one who is holy and then prayed for his Kingdom to come to earth like it was in heaven. He prayed for today’s needs, their hearts to be pure with one another and with God. It was as simple as that. *** Jesus gave them an illustration to show how to pray for others. He needed more for his friends who had come to visit. He kept asking until he got what he asked for. That is how we pray for others. We pray till we get the answer. For ourselves, we pray for what we need right then and give it to the Lord. He is our loving Father who loves to give good gifts to his children. How much more will he give us the Holy Spirit if we ask. *** Lord, help us to be concerned about the one thing that is worthy to be concerned about and that is you and your kingdom. May we not be so busy with our worries to forget yours. Holy Spirit, thank you for being present in our lives to lead and guide us and fill us with power.