First Fruits

So...remember last night's post? (I know at least Cyler does)
I've been trying something new lately. We talked in Church about First Fruits. In the Old Testament, when God helped bring down Jericho (ok, realistically He did ALL of the work), God commanded that the first place the Isrealites came to be reserved for Him only. You must understand, the Isrealites had just wandered the desert for over 40 years by this point, and they were really looking for a home. And the first place they came to was this beautiful paradise, an Oasis in the middle of the desert where they could have easily settled. But God said "No. This place is mine. I brought you through this, and now as a symbol to me, you're going to give me the first and best. It's a step of faith, you need to trust that I have another place for you, and that I will continue to provide for you."
This practice was familiar to the Isrealites, they practiced a sacrifice at harvest time where they gave God 10% off the top, the very first and best of the harvest. We talked in Church about how best we can apply this to our lives. I'm honestly an evening person, i like to reflect on things at the end of the day. I'm groggy at best when i first wake up. But I decided that every night i would read over a passage of scripture, then write it out in bright ink at the top of the next journal page. Then in the morning, i would wake up, push the alarm button which i had set 15 critial minutes earlier than necessary, roll over and copy out the selected passage. This forces me to stay awake and think about what i'm writing. And it's been amazing so far. Starts my day off right. Completely worth it.
You know what happened next. 4 day shifts at work, meaning that 15 minutes earlier was too early for me. So i stopped the habit. For about a week. I had a passage of scripture at the top of a fresh page, waiting for me every morning. And last night i wrote that blog about transparency. This morning, my first sleep-in day in over 2 weeks, and i can't sleep. (which most of you know is almost NEVER a problem for me!)
So i cracked open my Bible and Journal, and this is what had awaited me for a week:
"You don't get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It's who you are, not what you say or do, that counts.
Your true being brims over into true words and deeds".
Luke 6:43-45
The answer was waiting for me all along.