Many Christians often confuse first fruit and tithe to be the same offering. First fruit is different from tithe.
“And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the first fruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly,” 2 Chronicles 31:5.
“And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the first fruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited,” Nehemiah 12:44.
From the above scriptures, you will discover that first fruit and tithe are mentioned separately. Whereas tithe is 10 per cent, first fruit is the total package of your increment.
“Honour the Lord with thy substance and with the first fruits of all thine increase,” Proverbs 3:9.
The purpose of the first fruit is to ensure sustainability of blessing on a job, life or business, to ensure favour, continuity and for constant progress to be upon all the endeavour of God’s people. You should not experience breakthrough this month and suffer the remaining months of the year. First fruit is a covenant seed of faith for continuous heavenly supply. I have seen wealth develop wings and fly away even from believers. They experience a decline in their future instead of continuous progress.
Your first fruit causes the blessings to rest on the remaining. You will no more fold up nor experience dryness if it is done joyfully and willingly. Every storm in your business or job should no more move you backward but forward. Your life and business gain speed instead of retardation.
In first fruit, God wants to be the first in your life; He hates anything to be put before Him. Show Him that you don’t mind whatever it takes for Him to be first in your life.
“For if the first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are also the branches,” Romans 11:16.
The lump here means the rest. God wants the first to bless the rest. It is a way to put God first in your life and all about you.
It is not a mistake that God brought Himself first in the 10 Commandments.
“Thou shall have no God beside me,” Exodus 20:3.
He also enjoin us to “…seek first the kingdom of God and other things shall be added,” Matthew 6:33.
We must not touch the first; it belongs to Him. Pharaoh touched God’s first, Israel, and God killed all their first including animals. (Exodus 12:30)
“Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 2:3
Abraham gave God his first fruit, Isaac and became a father of many nations. God gave the world His first and brought many sons unto glory. (Genesis 22:17-18); (Hebrews 2:10).
Touching the first fruit brings evil upon the rest, it brings about struggle, delay and this eventually leads to murmurings and complaining of the saints. So, instead of joyful hearts; they have sorrowful and heavy hearts.
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, when ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it,” Leviticus 23:10-11.
• Apostle Lawrence Achudume, Victory Life Bible Church Int’l, Km 9, Olabisi Onabanjo Way, Opp. OGTV, Ajebo, Abeokuta, Ogun State. P.O.Box 1537, Sapon, Abeokuta 110001, Ogun State, Nigeria,W/Africa. www.vl-bcinternational.Org.
