Topic: Appreciating God [Tuesday June 27, 2017]
Text: Leviticus 23:9-22
Key Verse: “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest” (Leviticus 23:10).
“One of the main reasons that we lose our enthusiasm in life,” Joel Osteen wrote, “is because we become ungrateful to God. We let what was once a miracle to become common to us. We get so accustomed to God’s goodness that it has become a routine.” This is why the text today is very instructive, as it stresses the need to appreciate God’s goodness and provision. God commanded the Israelites to offer the bunch of their firstfruits of harvest.
The Israelites could not have boasted that their agricultural produce was due to their efforts, as drought and other adverse circumstance could have affected the growth of their crops. So, to have a bountiful harvest must be an act of God, which the Israelites must appreciate, not just by means of a ceremony, but through offering of their first harvested crops. Equally instructive was the feast of weeks – the Passover – which served as a remembrance of the giving of the law, precisely fifty days after the departure from Egypt. The Passover, which was for seven days, was not an idle period spent in irrelevant things, but it was marked with offerings to the Lord through prayer, praises and godly meditation. The Israelites were not to eat of their new corn until God’s part had been offered.
The outpouring of the Holy Ghost, some Bible scholars point out, was also fifty days after Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed. The apostles, on that day, presented the firstfruits of the Christian Church to God. Now, in everything, we must begin with God – the day, meal and business among others. If we do not start with God, we will never have enough for Him in our list of commitments. Our debt is first of all unto the Lord.
Thought for the day: Appreciation attracts divine blessings.
Bible Reading in one Year: Titus 1-3
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
