First Things First

Reading : Deuteronomy 26:1–11 

“You will take the first of all the produce of the ground that you harvest… place it in a basket and go to the place that God, your God, will choose.” — Deuteronomy 26:2 (MSG)

As the Israelites prepared to live in the land God had promised them, Moses gave them a simple but meaningful instruction: bring the first of the harvest to the Lord. This offering was not only about crops; it was about remembering God’s story in their lives. When they presented the basket, they were to tell the story of how God rescued them: “My father was a homeless Aramean… we cried out to God… and God brought us out of Egypt with his powerful arm” (Deuteronomy 26:5–8, MSG). In other words, before enjoying the blessings of the land, they paused to remember that everything they had was a gift from God. Lent invites us to do the same. Before we serve others, we remember the grace that has carried us and the blessings that have filled our lives.

Offering the first fruits also reminded the people to give their best to God. Service begins with gratitude. When we recognize that all we have comes from God, we naturally want to offer our gifts back to Him. The life of Fanny Crosby is a beautiful example of this spirit. Crosby lost her sight as an infant, yet she discovered an extraordinary gift for poetry and songwriting. Over her lifetime she wrote more than 8,000 hymns, including the beloved song “Blessed Assurance.” Rather than seeing her blindness as a limitation, she believed it helped her depend more fully on God. Out of gratitude, she offered her gift of music and words to Him, and through her hymns countless people have found encouragement and faith.

Moses ended the instruction with a joyful reminder: “Rejoice in all the good things that God has given you and your family” (Deuteronomy 26:11, MSG). Gratitude leads to generosity. When we remember God’s goodness, we become eager to share His blessings with others. Lent becomes a season of preparation—placing the “first fruits” of our lives before God and asking how He might use them. Like the harvest offered by Israel, our talents, time, and resources can become offerings of praise. When we give them to God with grateful hearts, our lives become instruments of hope and service in the world.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the many blessings You have given us. Help us to remember Your goodness and to offer the best of our lives to You. Teach us to use our gifts in service to others, and fill our hearts with gratitude so that everything we do brings honor to You.

Amen.

The Joy of Generous Living

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

2 Corinthians 9:6

Paul paints a vivid picture from the world of agriculture: a farmer’s harvest is directly proportional to his sowing. If a farmer plants just a few seeds, he should expect a modest harvest. But if he sows abundantly, with faith in the land’s fruitfulness, he will reap in proportion to what he scattered. This is a timeless principle—both practical and spiritual. In the same way, Paul is urging the Corinthians (and us) to understand that spiritual fruitfulness and joy are tied to our willingness to give freely, generously, and sacrificially. This isn’t a transactional prosperity formula—it’s a principle of kingdom abundance, where grace begets more grace, and generosity becomes both seed and harvest in the lives of those around us.

Eugene Peterson captures this beautifully in The Message, paraphrasing, “A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop.” The principle isn’t about manipulating God into blessing us; it’s about stepping into the flow of His generosity. God is a giver—from creation to the cross—and when we give, we reflect His heart. The invitation is not to give under compulsion or calculation, but with trust and delight. To sow generously is to live with open hands and open hearts, participating in the overflowing grace of God, not hoarding, but releasing with joy.

As J.B. Lightfoot insightfully notes, Paul “puts giving on the highest ground—it is the imitation of the divine bounty.” This transforms our understanding of giving: it’s not a burdensome duty, but a radical act of discipleship. When we sow generously, we’re not just sharing resources—we’re stepping into the pattern of Christ Himself, who gave everything for us. His was the ultimate sowing: laying down His life to bring forth the abundant harvest of salvation. As followers of Jesus, we are called not merely to believe in His grace, but to live it out—to give as we have been given, and to love as we have been loved.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

Teach us to trust You with open hands and hearts, to give freely and love abundantly. May our generosity be a reflection of Your grace, a testimony to Your faithfulness, and a seed that bears fruit for Your kingdom. Let us sow as Christ sowed—lavishly, courageously, and in faith.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.