Gardens along the way...41 ...first fruits...

 Gardens along the way...41...first fruits... 

Here is it almost March...where did January and February fly to....

I walked to my mailbox yesterday in the nippy cold, windy day before a snow/rain storm approaching sometime today...reading and sorting my mail as I walked...

Looked toward my bare branched trees, and almost hidden were flowers blooming...small intricate crocus peeking up...faces reaching for the sun......”first fruits” of spring ....promises of more to come...

Going through the Old Testament, first fruits were spoken of a multitude of times...who, what, when, how, to whom they were to be given...

I looked at the flowers, and could only give thanks for their beauty, perseverance, their gift to my heart...to the God of all creation...then I thought, how can I give these first fruits and ran to get my phone to take a picture and share...

Something, seemingly insignificant, brightened my day through the dull grays and browns of winter...the blustery winds of life...give and rejoice...thank YOU...

You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.

Exodus 23:16 

And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.

Leviticus 23:40

and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

Numbers 13:20

All the best of the oil and all the best of the wine and of the grain, the firstfruits of what they give to the Lord, I give to you. The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.

Numbers 18:12-13 

We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord;

Nehemiah 10:35 

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

James 3:17-18