So I found myself in Malachi 3 after church yesterday. And there are a couple things I wanted to draw out that may give you a fresh perspective on Pentecost and perhaps an opportunity for greater joy in your life and those around you. 😀
Malachi 3:10-12 AMP
10. Bring all the tithes (the tenth) into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you [so great] a blessing until there is no more room to receive it. 11. Then I will rebuke the devourer (insects, plague) for your sake and he will not destroy the fruits of the ground, nor will your vine in the field drop its grapes [before harvest],” says the Lord of hosts. 12. “All nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight,” says the Lord of hosts.”
I have heard since I was a child that you can’t out give God. And it is a timely reminder that I was robbing God of his tithes and offerings. And that is a battle I have been fighting for a very long time. And now, never have I had so little, yet for the last two months I have started to return to God the first 10% of everything I make (first fruits) and then the next ten percent as a thank offering, and the third 10% to a very special, yet estranged family member.
𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭?
Well as we come up to Pentecost this Sunday May 19, 2024, (50 days after Passover or Easter) here is something I have never seen before, and it comes from Acts 2.
The scene is set on the day of Pentecost, which was a Jewish festival held fifty days after Passover. It was a time of celebration and thanksgiving. It was originally a Harvest Festival where devout Jews joyfully brought the first fruits of their harvest to the Temple, expressing gratitude to God for His provision. What is important in that is first fruits are the fruits that come before you know you have a bountiful harvest or not. You may be giving God everything that you receive that harvest year. There may not be anymore. So it’s an act of faith that God will provide.
I love keeping that in mind, as you read Acts 2. Because you have thousands of people before you who have all come with that purpose when Peter quotes from the Old Testament Joel about the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit and Psalms of David that point to Jesus victory over death. And then Peter makes his point to the Jews before him ever so clear that it cut to their heart:
Acts 2:36-38 ESV
36. “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37. Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38. And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
When I read Acts 2 in the light of giving God our first fruits, and I hear Peter telling the devout Jews to repent and be baptized. I hear yes giving God your first fruits is good, but the greatest gift you can give God is your heart, and not just 10, 20 or 30%.
The Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, was a time when devout Jews would present their first fruits as an offering to God, symbolizing trust and gratitude for His provision. This act of giving the first fruits before knowing the outcome of the entire harvest required faith and a reliance on God’s grace. In the context of Acts 2:38, when Peter calls the crowd to repent, it’s not just a call for a change of mind; it’s an invitation to a deeper, more significant transformation. It’s about turning back to God with one’s entire being.
I don’t believe it is a coincidence that God chose to pour out His spirit at Pentecost or that Peter calls for repentance on the day that people are there to give God their first fruits.
So the first fruits offered at Pentecost can be seen as a metaphor for the people’s hearts—what they are truly giving to God, in repentance, is not just a physical offering, but the ‘first fruits’ of their inner selves, their commitment, and their trust. This spiritual offering of the heart signifies a complete dedication to God, akin to how the first fruits represented the best and earliest of what they had to offer. It’s a powerful image of surrender and devotion to God, reflecting the essence of true repentance—a wholehearted return to God!
𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞?
What are the things from which I can give God my first fruits of my heart, but every breath God gives me, every thought He gives me, every opportunity He gives me to speak life into another person, every goal I have for my life and every thing He gives me.
And from that light, Acts 2:42-47 makes so much more sense. Because I know when you start to give back to God the first fruits in all these areas of your life (and insert others that are meaningful to you), your heart will grow more and more generous and there is so much greater joy in life, and a greater ability to give and a greater ability for the Spirit of God to work unhindered and in amazing ways in my life!
𝐌𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮:
So back to Malachi 3, I challenge whomever has read this to put God to the test and give God the first fruits of whatever God gives you and bless others and watch God open the flood gates of heaven in your life!!!
May God Bless You.
𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐦 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭?
I am going to continue with Dangerous Prayers and add one
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4e5ENYxdyLrm6YPg3STov6?si=u0I5KKVkSzSm_vsPe-pIRg&pi=u-xHqp_eMnRSq8
Lord I give you my hands and feet that I may do and go where you want me to, and keep me away from the things and places you don’t want me to do or to go to.
Lord I give you my ears and my mouth, may I hear your voice and do, go and say what you ask me to do, go and say with Your boldness and promptness!
Lord I give you my eyes and my heart, may I see what you want me to see and may you make my heart more like yours. And God break my heart for what breaks yours!
Lord break me of anything that gets in the way of a strong relationship with You!
Lord God may I continue to give you your tithes and offerings and may You give me boldness to give even more as you call me to test You and watch You open the windows of heaven. Malachi 3:10-11
Lord the answer is, “Yes”, now what is the question?!?
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