Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Before anything else...

Before anything else...

"And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings." (Leviticus 23:14 ESV)

Before they were allowed to eat any part of the harvest, Israel was required to give a firstfruits offering. Imagine that. Imagine giving opening the use of anything else and framing the values of using anything else.

Imagine if we had to give before doing anything else?

The point of offerings is to cause us to focus on God. Suppose we took the privilege and point of giving to heart. Suppose we saw the opportunity for what it is, and we truly put our focus on God... in ALL things. Suppose we focused on God with food, shelter, clothing... breathing. Suppose we focused on God as we shopped, talked, watched television, searched the internet, or perused social media.

Suppose we didn't even do any of those things until we'd made an offering to the Lord? Suppose that offering was free-hearted, true, fine, and truly used to cause us to focus on the Lord? What such people might we be and what such thoughts might we think and what such words might we speak if our offerings put our focus on God?

What would be like if we first focused on God and then continued to focus on God as we __________________?

What would be like if we drew nigh unto the Lord before we did anything else?




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