Title Firstfruits Thanksgiving Faith/Leviticus 23:9-21
I went to Costa this time and met a very precious person. This is Missionary Jaehwan Lee, a Gambian missionary. The testimonies of giving up everything and dedicated as a missionary while serving in the Gambia, central Africa, where the sandstorm blows hot, made me think of many things. One time my wife got on a plane and looked out the window and said, "If this plane falls, will we get to heaven?" It was heartbreaking. How difficult would it have been for you to think like that? However, in the words of Missionary Jaehwan Lee, a word was planted in my heart. "If you can drink a glass of clean water, you have no right to complain. If you complain while living in Korea, you will go to God and be beaten."
That's right. A distinct characteristic of God's children, especially the blessed saints, is gratitude.
Meister Eckhart Do you not know how to pray? Then pray like this. "God, thank you. God, thank you. God, thank you." Then you have prayed the most precious prayer.
The daughter of Elder Kim Hyung-hoi, IBM Korea's chief executive officer, said that when she was in high school, she got 1st and 2nd place in the mock exams, but she had a hard time because her parents didn't greet her teacher, so her grades were bad. The elder and his wife had a conflict and asked her if she wanted to go to the teacher, and she said, "It's okay if I don't go to a good college, please pray for the teacher together." In the end, I couldn't get into the college I wanted and got into a college with a low score. However, on the day of the graduation ceremony, the homeroom teacher greeted her daughter in a short way, "I'm going to church now." So, with my daughter, I thanked God very much. The thanksgiving of the saints is unique.
God spoke of three feasts of thanksgiving that the Israelites should observe. First, the Passover (Feast of Unleavened Bread) commemorating the day they were delivered from Egypt, second, the Feast of Harvest, offering the firstfruits of what was sown in the field, and third, saving the harvested grain at the end of the year. It is the feast of the chieftain.
Among these three seasons, the most unique Thanksgiving is the Harvest Festival. In general, there is a tendency to regard the Thanksgiving Day as a less-than-than-Thankful Thanksgiving Day. But the truth is the opposite. Thanksgiving is a day of thanksgiving to God for the harvest that has been given to you after completing the year of farming. So rich and relaxed. However, the Feast of Harvest is a festival of thanksgiving when the first fruits are harvested and the first fruits are presented as a thanksgiving gift. That is why it is also called the Feast of First Fruits. Neither rich nor relaxed. But the depth of gratitude is unspeakably deep.
It was only later that I realized the faith of Thanksgiving for the Harvest Festival. And then I fell in love. This is because the Feast of Harvest is a festival that only saved people can understand. There is Chuseok in the world, but there is no Thanksgiving Day.
Just imagine. During their 40 years in the wilderness, they ate only one manna. Then they farmed with their own hands and reaped their first harvest. How great was that emotion? How much would you like to eat while holding a spikelet with a sickle egg? Now you have picked up one tier. However, God has placed the spit in advance.
:10 ... Hypocrisy You shall bring the first sheaf of your grain to the priest.
:14 ... You shall not eat any bread, or roasted grain, or fresh ears of grain, until the day you bring the gift to your God.
:21 ... This is an everlasting ordinance that you will keep from generation to generation wherever you reside
I have received the first thank-you offering that brought tears to my eyes many times. This cannot be forced. How would you like to offer your first gift? However, when you know that it is a command from God and offer it with thanks, it is not a thank you gift, but a profession of faith.
Offering the firstfruits is to confess that God is the only source of blessing. And all those who have such faith are blessed.
Proverbs 3:9 "Honor the LORD with your sacrifice and with the firstfruits of your produce."
Proverbs 3:10 "Then your barns will be full, and your presses will overflow with new wine."
According to a pastor who pastors in a rural area, young trees such as apricots, peaches, and even red peppers are planted in rural areas, and when they grow and bear the first fruits, they are picked without any regrets. When a tree bears a few first fruits, it consumes all its energy on those fruits. So, by picking the first fruits, nutrients are evenly distributed throughout the tree, and the fruits that are opened afterward are very open and taste better.
Everyone, don't you forget to give thanks for the firstfruits? It's hard after marriage, so I forget to thank you. Do you always get your first thanks at work? Studying is difficult to begin with. So it's easy to forget the first thanks. We live without gratitude because of our greed.
We need to know that the time of giving the firstfruits is not a time of abundance. There is no obedience to the Word, and without faith, we cannot give. How about the first fruits this year?
"Honey, how much is our Thanksgiving offering this time for the Thanksgiving Day? You take care of it in moderation."
Not all of us are farmers. But our lives are like farming. He has given us the firstfruits in various forms this year. The day to be thankful for it is the Harvest Festival. Not everyone gives thanks for the Feast of First Fruits. You must have a clear belief that God is the source of blessings. So, the Feast of Harvest is the Feast of Faith.
I pray that you will become truly blessed saints who begin with thanks and end with thanks.