Do you ever stop to wonder, “How did I get here?” I mean this is in the most positive sense. Whether you are “well off” or even struggling to get by, you need to pause at times and declare, “By the grace of God, I live and have my being.” In other words, your life is a gift. And just look what God has done in your life.
Remembering that life is a gift leads to a thankful heart…and thankfulness inspires giving…and giving done in this spirit is a joy. As Christians, we pray before our meals are served and we say, “thank you for the food.” It has become mechanical for many of us. Is the saying of “grace” not an opportunity to remember? We remember that food is a gift. We remember that the family or friends we eat it with are a gift. We remember that the very fact we are thanking God for food is a gift of faith that has been passed on to us by faithful people who love Jesus. In short, we cannot sit here and say, “Look what I have accomplished,” but by remembering, we say, “Look what God has done in my life.”
In our OT text today, Deuteronomy 26:1-11, we have a teaching that was meant for the Israelites when they were about to cross into the Promised Land. It was a teaching about the heart of giving our first fruits to God. These words were not written to us, but we can learn from them about what happens when we give to the Lord.
I believe when we grasp the truth of these words, remembering our lives are a gift from God will renew our worship in giving.
Giving begins with Remembering
Moses gives Israel a speech to make to God when they brought their first fruits to the Lord. We don’t need to say this speech, but the spirit of it reminds us of what is happening when we give.
When Israelites made the speech to God, it described their relationship to God. It was a teaching tool for them. God didn’t need to hear it…but they needed to say it. And the heart of what they said was, “God, we depend on you.” They needed to say this because, as we all know, it is too easy to forget we are dependent on God. So, what was the speech?
We see in the opening verses that the worshiper comes with his first fruits in a basket to the priest. Moses said, as he hands the basket over, to recite these words (see v. 3, 5-9). It’s a confession of sorts…
· My father was a wandering Aramean… (that’s Jacob)
· We cried to the Lord and he heard us… (in our torment)
· The Lord brought us out of Egypt… (he delivered us)
· And he brought us into this place… (the Promised Land)
The confession is simple: The worshiper is rehearsing the story of God’s faithfulness. God has done what he has promised. God has been faithful in the past, and therefore we can trust him in the future. Jesus, in his “Do not worry” sermon made the same promise, “…do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you,” (Mat. 6:31f).
Remember how God gave these things to you? Food, drink, clothes – in the past he has provided these to you. Is it true that God has been faithful? If yes, then, in our giving, we are declaring God has kept his promise in giving what we needed. Before you open your hand, open your memory.
Giving is an act of Thankfulness
Israel responded to God’s faithfulness with a first fruits offering. It is important to remember God is not hungry. Nor are they paying God back for the Promised Land. A “first fruits” gift to God is a tribute to God for his faithfulness. It is an acknowledgement of God’s goodness. “God, you have been good to me. You have given me food and drink and clothing, am giving to you the “first fruits” of what you have given to me. Thank you!”
Remember, life is a gift. We don’t give in order to make our lives a gift. We give because our lives already are a gift.
The first fruits gift is an act of thanksgiving. It also honors God in that we bring the first and best to him believing that he will continue to take care of us. When we give God the first fruits, we’re not waiting to see how everything turns out in business or farming before we give. We are declaring, “God, you have been faithful, and I trust you with what remains” We don’t give him what’s left after everything else has been paid. We give as an intentional first response to his generosity.
I read of a church that decided to set aside funds for those who could not give because money was tight. The Leadership said to these people, “Give first. If there are bills you cannot pay, we will cover you.” The pastor said that when families gave first fruits first, they never had to cover those families yet. I don’t know if that works universally but it is an interesting act of faith.
So, the worshiper takes his basket to the Lord and says, “And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me,” (10). The gift acknowledges God as the original giver and thanks him for the plenty that the worshiper has known.
We thank God by bringing him a first fruits gift. The Bible, as a whole, teaches there is no thanking God without a gift of some sort. It is not always money or material things. But gratitude opens our hands to give something. Praising and honoring God as the Provider without a gift is empty. God does not need the gift, to be clear. But we need to give it to protect our hearts and minds from idolatry, to keep from worshiping ourselves, or from worshiping and serving our possessions. We need to give it to remind ourselves that we serve God.
Giving flows from a heart of Joy
When we have remembered God’s faithfulness and responded in thanks, there will be joy. That’s what Moses teaches. “And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you,” (11).
Who gets to rejoice? You. Your family. Those who minister before the Lord. And even the visitor to your congregation. How is that possible?
I think we have demonstrated that God has been generous with us. The Israelites did not deserve to inherit the Promised Land. Note that nuance: inherit. It was a gift from God. Sharon and I inherited a small sum of money from our parents, and it helped to pay off loans and get rid of debt. We did not work for it. Our parents worked for it and left the money to us. Inheritance isn’t something you earn. It is something you receive. Some never get any inheritance from their parents’ estate. But if you do, it is a gift, a grace. We are heirs of God’s promises. He has given us his kingdom as an inheritance through Jesus Christ. That’s incredibly generous. He didn’t just save us; he gave us a hope.
God’s generosity doesn’t end with us. It moves through us. When we give to the church, to missions, to relief agencies, and so on, we are participating in the generosity of God. That has a ripple effect on the people around us and the recipients of these ministries. Imagine the joy you have spread around the world by giving your offerings to God. How many people have shared in your joy. Think of how lives have been changed through a ministry like ICYA. And there wouldn’t be ICYA if there was not first the church of Jesus.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:31-32
And this generosity points us to something bigger than our giving. It points us to the generosity of God. He gave us his Son. This is the heart of giving. How shall we respond?
You may remember when Jesus healed ten lepers in Luke 17. God’s generosity is definitely on display. Jesus healed all ten, but only one returned to give thanks. And Luke makes the point of telling us that he was a Samaritan, an outsider, a foreigner, Jesus calls him. He is the one who comes back and falls at Jesus’ feet to worship him. He recognized the generosity of God and responded with thanksgiving. Jesus does not take back his gift of healing just because the other nine did not return. But one remembered and one returned.
God’s generosity produced a grateful response. And that grateful response became worship.
God has been so good to us.
We give because we remember.
We give because we are thankful.
We give because generosity produces joy.
Life is a gift!
AMEN
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