First Fruits
"Bring the best of the first fruits...to the house of the Lord your God." Exodus 34:26 (NIV)I love roses, especially red ones that smell like an expensive perfume. I grew up in a house that had red roses in our back yard. My college sorority at Auburn had red roses as its official flower. Bruce sent me a dozen red roses when Meredith was born. By the time Daniel was born, I only got 4 red roses (our money was a lot tighter then!) with a card that read, "Four and no more! Love, Bruce" Roses and I definitely have a lot of history together.Several years ago after he had success with planting hydrangeas, Bruce decided to try growing some roses in our yard. After much research, he finally ordered via the Internet four rose bushes from the Heirloom Roses Company. A mega large cardboard box soon arrived with the UPS truck. We excitedly opened the big box only to discover that our very pricey plants were really very small, probably no more than 12 inches in height. Bruce followed the directions and dug a 2-foot by 4-foot hole for the tiny rose "bushes". I personally thought it was ridiculous to have such a big hole for a tiny plant, but Bruce was determined. He dutifully fertilized, sprayed for bugs, pruned, watered during the drought, and willed them to grow. The rest is history. We've been hooked on roses ever since and now Bruce plants some new varieties each year.Last week Bruce cut the first of this year's roses, brought them in, and put them in a bud vase on the kitchen table. When I got home, the fragrance literally filled the room. The first roses brought us both much joy and delight as we looked at them, admired them, smelled them, and recalled how much we'd gone through to get them to grow.This week the story is a little different. Oh, the roses are blooming to be sure; in fact, they're blooming so much that it's a chore to keep them cut properly. The novelty and excitement has died down and we're both acclimated to the smells and sights of fresh roses. We still enjoy them, but the newness has definitely worn off. The first ones, much like the first peaches, corn, and tomatoes of the season are just very special. They look brighter, smell better, and are valued more than those later in the growing season.My roses reminded me that God knows about the importance and significance of first fruits. In the Old Testament, He commanded the Israelites to bring their own first fruits, not their leftovers, to Him. He demanded and deserved their very best. He still wants and deserves the first of our time, talent, and treasure. In the New Testament, Christ is the "first fruit" of the "resurrection, those who have been raised from the dead." (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23). And we who have received Christ as our Savior are the "firstfruits" of all He created. (James 1:16) The God who wants and deserves our very best has given His best to us.So what about it? Are you giving God your first fruits of your time, talent and treasure? Are you spending some daily quality time getting to know Him or does He just get your leftovers? Through the years I've found that as I give God my first minutes of the day or the first fruits of our money, then God blesses the rest of what's left. Somehow, giving to God first multiplies what's left. I only hope that my first fruits bring God half as much pleasure as those first Velvet Fragrance red roses brought us. I'd like to think that our lives are somehow a sweet fragrance and aroma to Him.