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Be Blessed by Receiving Manifold Measures of Grace by Relating with God through the Lord's Appointed Times of First-Fruits
Finding Significance by Relating with God through the Lord’s Appointed Times of First-Fruits
On this day, God also directed the children of Israel to begin counting 50 days to offering a new grain offering. This commemorates the 50 day journey from the deliverance of the bondage of Egypt to the receiving of God’s 10 Commandments and revelation of His covenant at Sinai. It serves to remind us that redemption was not truly complete until receiving God’s covenant. Taking the time to count each day and meditate on the reality of God prepares our heart and mind to truly receive fullness of truth and revelation of the love and knowledge of God.
What a great affirmation this is of:
The LORD lived as a man, taking on our human nature. He dedicated His life in devotion and obedience to the Father, saving ours from spiritual death. In fulfillment of the appointed time of the love feast, the LORD rose on the 3rd day after Passover, the very day of First-Fruits. In His resurrection, He, therefore, became the first fruit of the LOVE OF GOD as well as human race to experience the resurrection of the new life! Those born again in the LORD follow in His footsteps. We also have opportunity to celebrate this love feast on an ongoing basis in faith as we dedicate our lives—our hearts and minds first—and service and duty to glorify God; and as a result, reap the fruits and benefits of His harvest.
REFLECTION, REALITY AND RESPONSE In what ways do you establish dedicated times to study God’s Word and reflect on God's business?
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Discovering God’s Purposes by Relating with Him through the Lord’s Appointed Times of First-Fruits
First-Fruits gives us an opportunity to dedicate ourselves to focusing on preparing our hearts and minds to receive new things of God; new opportunities and even insights God would offer us this season. . Peter further affirmed that God has given to us “everything we need for life and godliness, through our knowing the One who called us to his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3 JNT) For this reason, the LORD taught about the blessings of giving to others from a heart of gratefulness; and in faith, believing that God would multiply whatever you give. “Give, and you will receive gifts — the full measure, compacted, shaken together and overflowing, will be put right in your lap. For the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure back to you!” (Luke 6:38 JNT)Giving to others truly prepares the heart to receive back from God. Out of gratefulness and in faith, we therefore, dedicate a portion of the first fruits of what God has given to us back to Him; not in mere duty or obligation, but in love.
REFLECTION, REALITY AND RESPONSE What are some ways you can bless others as God blesses you? How do you demonstrate your trust in God’s provision for the future?
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Receiving God’s Amazing Grace by Relating with Him through the Lord’s Appointed Times of First-Fruits
First-Fruits therefore points forward to the LORD’s resurrection as the first soul arisen in the newness of eternal life.
In identifying with the LORD’s death and resurrection, we resist the temptations of sin, and allow the Holy Spirit to arise within and empower us to overcome. The more we receive God's love and yield to this gift of grace—the true gift of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit—the more we experience the real sufficiency of God in our life. Paul discovered that this grace gift became the true source of his strength.
REFLECTION, REALITY AND RESPONSE In what areas would you like to see Christ’s nature more reflected in you?
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Responding in Faith to God’s Invitation of Life and Peace by Relating with Him through the Lord’s Appointed Times of First-Fruits
RELEVANCE Jesus revealed the way, the truth and the life of God. The first way to the new life in God began with His resurrection from the dead. He became the first soul arisen in the newness of His eternal life, arising as our representative, establishing God’s order of raising up believers spiritually, and ultimately eternally.
God desires that we continuously advance forward in life, progressively growing trusting faith in God. This is accomplished as the Holy Spirit continues to strengthen our heart and renew our mind, helping us grow in the new life—our renewed nature—the nature and character of Messiah Jesus. God works this renewing in us through a process of exchange: adding and deleting. Just as John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30), God grows His nature in us by continuously adding aspects of His spiritual nature—His virtue and character; while simultaneously deleting aspects of our old carnal nature. Paul described this as “our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). Such a process requires the cooperation and participation of our will. As we receive God's love and grace the Holy Spirit enlightens us and convinces us of aspects of wrong tendencies—sin—and helps us see God’s truths, the grace of God flows to delete such aspects of our disposition, transforming our nature and enabling us to advance forward in His strength! One way we facilitate this process is by giving of the blessings of God—our first fruits—back to God. By resisting our carnal nature to hoard, we take authority over the power of greed and mammon, and gratefully give back to God. It frees up our conscience and gives God permission, so to say, to bless us even further! God, as Creator, is always doing new things. This perspective, therefore, blesses us by keeping our minds open to new things God may be doing. It, therefore, becomes easier to receive new insights by the Holy Spirit—even new instruction—as God opens doors of opportunity. Truly, as you continue to engage with God over time, He will nurture your faith and cultivate His nature in you from faith-to-faith and glory-to-glory! (Romans 1:17 and 2 Corinthians 3:18) REFLECTION, REALITY AND RESPONSE How is your new nature reflected in your life? In what ways may God be preparing you to advance forward in your life?
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Walking in Spiritual Reality by Relating with God through the Lord’s Appointed Times of First-Fruits
In addition, the gift of the Holy Spirit is bestowed into our hearts as the “guarantee of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:14) This infilling is in essence, the deposit—or initial installment of our eternal inheritance! This new posture or standing opens up a truly new realm of vested spiritual rights to the child of God, as stated in John 1:12-13. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” To gain insight into what this truly means, two words need to be fully understood: receive and right. The word used for receive here, lambano, is an active verb, in contrast to the more passive kind of verb used in the sentence just prior to this one. It means: actively attained. The word used for right is exousia. Like many Greek and Hebrew words, it is an expansive word. It means: right, privilege, capacity, competency, strength, freedom, authority, power, and jurisdiction. It means a lot! So, those who more than believe, but actively embrace and trust the LORD and welcome the Holy Spirit from the heart, attain the full right, privilege, capacity, competency, strength, freedom, authority, power, and jurisdiction of covenant children of God! How many of those who believe actively receive all God has to bestow? Truly, God’s children in the LORD have opportunity to apprehend a fresh, wide-range perspective of life! It’s what the new life in Christ is all about! This standing offers the child of God a special kind of spiritual vision. 1 Samuel 3:1 calls this type of vision, open vision (chazone parats). With such type of open vision and the faith to see it materialize, you can truly come into the fullness of God’s unique purposes for your life.
REFLECTION, REALITY AND RESPONSE How has God revealed His Son in you? To what extent have you received your “vesting” as a joint heir with the LORD? How have you been exercising your rights as heirs of grace, children of the King of Glory?
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Be Blessed by Embracing God’s Values and Relating with Him through the Lord’s Appointed Times of First-Fruits
On another level, First-Fruits also serves as a shadow, pointing to the LORD’s resurrection as the first soul arisen in the newness of life; new life in Christ in earth and in heaven.
Consecration, therefore, relates to how we value our relationship with God; specifically this new state of belonging to Christ. It’s how we receive the love and grace of God and express loyalty—or faithfulness—to God. The LORD set an example of the type of character we should value and embrace. He would have us continuously look inside and examine our character. As we desire to grow in character the Holy Spirit strengthens us to do so. He is the Comforter who, if allowed, will transform your mind and heart, bringing it to conformity with the LORD’s character and nature. The more God's love softens our heart and the Holy Spirit transforms our nature, the more our values and world-view changes. We identify more intimately with God’s causes, see more of God’s perspectives and truly become more concerned with what the LORD referred to as the weightier matters—justice, mercy and faith.
REFLECTION, REALITY AND RESPONSE How do you dedicate the first fruits of your labors to God? What are some ways by which you can demonstrate greater loyalty and faithfulness towards God?
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Living Life in its Fullness by Relating with the Lord who is the Door of the Sheep
Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ came as LORD proclaiming that He was the way to eternal salvation, the gateway—or door—of heaven.
Paul expanded on what this truly meant for those placing their faith in the LORD by explaining, “through him and on the ground of our trust, we have gained access to this grace in which we stand.” (Romans 5:2 JNT) This grace is the fullness of the LORD’s salvation—eternal life with eternal access to God’s presence in heaven—and open access to God, “in earth as it is in heaven” while still on earth, through the presence of the Holy Spirit! Paul further explained how believers in the LORD follow after Him as true children of God bound for eternal life, in proclaiming that, “the Messiah has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have died.” (1 Corinthians 15:20 JNT) The LORD came as a man to be the first fruit to ascend unto eternal life after substituting His sacrificial blood for the remission of sins. No longer would animal sacrifices be acceptable to God. His LOVE made a new way! He opened the door to eternal life! He lives eternally in heaven, as do those who have put their faith in Him, and follow Him. In the LORD, we truly see El Hashamayim—The God of the Heavens. (Psalm 136:26) He is Jehovah-rapha—the Lord who heals! (Exodus 15:26)
REFLECTION, REALITY AND RESPONSE With so many influences seeking your mind and heart, and so many events stirring your emotions, how do you discern which doors of opportunity to go through and the activities in which you should participate? |
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