We have officially come to the close of the Harris/Sullivan wedding celebrations. Planning for a year. Wedding on September 22 in Arizona. In October, an Indiana Reception for family and friends that could not make the westward pilgrimage. 40-50 Hoosiers gathered in my brother’s old barn and celebrated. Sari and my daughter Kenzie did a fantastic job of turning that giant chicken coop into an incredible reception venue. Sari, my sister and sister-in-law put together a mouth watering spread of food. BBQ beef and pulled pork, coleslaw, baked beans, veggies and dip, chips and queso, pasta salad, homemade sugar cookies, Nothing Bundt Cakes. It was amazing! And the best part was LEFTOVERS. I think the best part of any meal is the leftovers. Some meals even taste better the next day.  We sent food home with some people but still brought a lot of it home with us and I have been eating it all week long. It is still amazing!

I love leftovers but God seems to have a different view of them.  I say this because of two words used throughout scripture. First Fruits. First fruits refers to the first part of the harvest. It was the first fruit that was commanded to be brought to God. First fruits, not the leftovers. Once you brought the first fruits there was no promise that there would even be leftovers. So giving God the first part required faith that he would supply your needs out of the rest of the harvest. In fact, when God supplied the wandering Israelites with manna they were instructed to only gather enough for one day and eat all of it that day. Don’t have any leftovers. Some didn’t listen and the leftovers were filled with worms and stinketh. (Exodus 16) God doesn’t give us his leftovers and commands that we give him our first fruits. Think about Cain and Abel. When they each brought an offering to God, Cain brought ‘some of the land’s produce’ as he was a farmer. Abel brought ‘the firstborn of his flock’ since he was a shepherd. Cain’s offering displeased God while Abel’s was accepted. ‘Some’ vs. ‘First Fruits’  All throughout the Bible, it is the first fruit, the firstborn, the best, a tithe (10%) off the top that was to be brought to God as an offering.  God doesn’t desire your leftovers.

I am neither a farmer nor a shepherd so first fruits for me would be translated as giving out of my pay check. The fruit of my labor. A tithe would be that 10% off the top. Not just some of my pay check. Not if anything is leftover. This kind of ‘first fruits’ giving is a discipline. It is an act of worship. By regularly giving my tithe and offerings (offerings are anything over and above the tithe), I am actually confessing that everything I have is God’s and I am the steward that has been entrusted to use it wisely as God would use it. (Matthew 25:14-30) 

But being a good steward is not just about paychecks and money. We owe God the first fruits of our time. God has given us 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. 6 days to do all of the work we need to do and the 7th day is a Sabbath to the Lord. I am not going to get into what a Sabbath is but I will say this 4th Commandment tells me that at least some portion of my time is to be the first fruits and stewarded for God. God doesn’t want our leftover time, if we have any.

Does God get my first fruits?
Do I give the first fruits of my labor? What is my discipline of giving – regularly?, cheerfully?, off the top? Some? Leftovers?
Does God get the best time of my day or week or does he get the left overs. If there is time left, I will pray. If there is time left, I will read my Bible. If there is time left, I will attend a church service. And don’t even ask about small groups, discipleship, evangelism, or serving in Eagle Kids (or any other ministry), who has time for all of that. 

In that parable of the talents in Matthew 25, two of the servants were rewarded for the way they stewarded the resources God gave them and the time it took to invest it. The third servant was cast out because he didn’t take the time and buried the resources. God has given each of us time, abilities and financial resources to steward (take care of) for his kingdom. What am I doing with all that God has given me? 

At the end of the day we probably don’t even deserve the scraps off of God’s table and yet he gives us his Son, his first born. And while God deserves our best, many times we only offer him the scraps, the leftover parts of our life. Our bank statements and calendars reflect whether God is getting the first fruits or the leftovers. What if we gave God off the top and trusted him to meet all of our needs? No more Leftovers!

“His Master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s joy.”
Matthew 25:21