Thought For Today - February 17
First fruits of Our Increase!
By: Robert A. Searles

".But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6: 33

"Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine." Proverbs 3: 9,10.

The first fruits of all our increase not only includes our money and material possessions, but it also includes our time, our health, and our youth, and the freshness, and soundness of our minds. When God awakens us from sleep each new day, he has increased our time upon earth. If we truly seek first the kingdom of God, then we will give to him the first fruits of this increase.

The first moments, or first hours of each new day, ought to be spent in quiet prayer, and meditation, and fellowship with God. Often we are content to give to God whatever happens to be left over after we have taken the best of the crop. Then we give to God the gleanings. After we have all the sleep we want, after we have eaten all the breakfast we want, after we have done all our work, and taken care of all the necessary things that have to be done for ourselves, then we will try to find time to fulfill our obligation to God.

If it is an obligation that must be worked in somewhere in our time schedule, then we ought to forget it, because God wants our first fruits, brought to him with a willing heart, with love, and adoration ,and gratitude.
"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up." Psalm 5: 3

Morning implies newness, freshness, first things. Morning is the first fruits of each new day. How can any machine which depends upon an outside source of power, for its' energy, be expected to function if it is not first connected with its' source of power? How can we, as humans who are dependent upon our creator's source of power and wisdom. function properly, if we are not connected to our source of life?

Our first act when we awake in the morning ought to be to call upon the name of the Lord. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. If we want to be safe in the arms of Jesus all day long, then we ought to call upon him the moment we awake from sleep

Seeking first the kingdom of God means that we first want to live in God's presence and kingdom more than we want anything on earth. We ought to seek the kingdom of God early in the morning with the freshness of our minds, and our youth, and our health.

Don't you think that God is well pleased when his children arise early in the morning and offer to him with sincerity, gratitude, and love, the first fruits of the new day that he has given to them?

When we honor God by opening our eyes in the morning and calling upon the name of the Lord, and say - thank you Lord for this new day in my life, I want to walk and talk with you today, and have the fellowship of the Holy Spirit in all that I do this day; this is well pleasing to the Lord. Each new day the Lord is knocking on the door of our hearts and lives the moment we awake in the morning.
Jesus said: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man will hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and sup with him and he with me."
The door must be opened the first thing in the morning. If we wait until it is convenient for us to open the door, it may be that we will forget to open the door at all and we will miss a very important dinner guest.
"As for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy. And in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple." Psalm 5:7

"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up." Psalm 5: 3

"Lead me O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face." Psalm 5:8.

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