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For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Friday, September 19, 2025
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:The First Fruits BibleVerse:2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 "This is why we give thanks to God for you every day, beloved brothers and sisters. He has chosen you to be the first fruit in the vineyard of salvation. 14By your holiness in the Spirit and your faith in the truth, God calls you. Through the Gospel, you gain the glory of Christ Jesus. 15-17 So stand firm! Hold fast to the teachings we have given you in our letters and sermons. And may God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who have given us eternal comfort and hope by their grace, strengthen your hearts. Be encouraged by them in every good word and deed." Message:
In the preceding verses, Paul explains the hideous evil that will one day engulf the world and draws a picture of an increasingly sharp division between the holy and unholy inhabitants of earth, before the Second Coming. Now, he turns his attention from those who will be destroyed to those who will be saved. These verses are a foil, a contrast, to those preceding. And these comforting words are welcome; nobody wants to be in a group destined for doom!
Bible fruit of the vine +
The concepts of “first fruits” goes deep into the collective memory of Judaism and Christianity. Jewish worship centered around three great festivals; the second of these (which became the Christian Pentecost) was established in Exodus 23:16: “You are also to keep the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in the field.” We give to God first, not last. He gets the best, not the leftovers.
We see the metaphor of “harvest” applied to human souls many times in the New Testament. For example, Jesus tells us “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” (Matthew 9:27.) Similarly throughout the Bible, we see both Judaism and Christianity depicted as a vine or vineyard, and faithful believers as the fruit.
So telling the Thessalonians that they are the “firstfruit of salvation” is high praise, and the promise of glorification in Christ makes for a bright and beautiful contrast to the awful description of the Son of Destruction, and those he deceives.
The idea of firstfruits also describes how early in time the Thessalonians have come to Christ. The body of believers is tiny. Notice that Paul urges them to follow the teachings in the sermons and letters they receive; because unlike us, they have nothing more to go on: no organized church, no cadre of teachers, no written Gospel.
Thus I would urge all of us to give thanks for the many sources of encouragement and learning we have, and which we can use to help others.
Meditation : “A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.” ~ Amelia Earhart Prayer : Now all glory to you, mighty God, who is able to keep me from falling away and will bring me with great joy into your glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to you who alone are God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are yours before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time, Amen. Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence. Jesus the Sower parable Jesus the Sower Psalm 121 (KJV) I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. Blue Latin Cross 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 (DP Readers’ Bible) T his is why we give thanks to God for you every day, beloved brothers and sisters. He has chosen you to be the first fruit in the vineyard of salvation. 14By your holiness in the Spirit and your faith in the truth, God calls you. Through the Gospel, you gain the glory of Christ Jesus. 15-17 So stand firm! Hold fast to the teachings we have given you in our letters and sermons. And may God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who have given us eternal comfort and hope by their grace, strengthen your hearts. Be encouraged by them in every good word and deed. Notes on the Scripture The First Fruits In the preceding verses, Paul explains the hideous evil that will one day engulf the world and draws a picture of an increasingly sharp division between the holy and unholy inhabitants of earth, before the Second Coming. Now, he turns his attention from those who will be destroyed to those who will be saved. These verses are a foil, a contrast, to those preceding. And these comforting words are welcome; nobody wants to be in a group destined for doom! Bible fruit of the vine + The concepts of “first fruits” goes deep into the collective memory of Judaism and Christianity. Jewish worship centered around three great festivals; the second of these (which became the Christian Pentecost) was established in Exodus 23:16: “You are also to keep the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in the field.” We give to God first, not last. He gets the best, not the leftovers. We see the metaphor of “harvest” applied to human souls many times in the New Testament. For example, Jesus tells us “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” (Matthew 9:27.) Similarly throughout the Bible, we see both Judaism and Christianity depicted as a vine or vineyard, and faithful believers as the fruit. So telling the Thessalonians that they are the “firstfruit of salvation” is high praise, and the promise of glorification in Christ makes for a bright and beautiful contrast to the awful description of the Son of Destruction, and those he deceives. |
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