Speak to the children of Israel and tell them: When you come into the land which I am giving you, and reap your harvest, you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest, who shall wave the sheaf before the LORD that it may be acceptable for you.
We are all called to give the first fruits of our labors to God. We do this because all our goods and works come from God. He is the Alpha and the Omega of everything and it is from Him that we receive the gifts which sustain our lives and help us to grow and thrive as Christians. As such, it makes sense we should return some of what He has graced us with to Him. We do so when we give our time to God in prayer, spiritual reading, ministry, and other works of charity and mercy. We do so when we give Him our talents, by offering up our physical, mental, and spiritual works to Him and using our gifts to do good and glorify God. Last but not least, we do this when we give our treasures to God through tithing, almsgiving, and fasting.
Do we give our first fruits to God? If not, then how can we learn to trust that giving up our time, talents, and treasure will not impoverish us, but enrich us? What can we do to recognize God as the beginning and end of all our goods and works?
O Lord, we bring you our first fruits in hopes that they will be acceptable to you.
Amen.
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