What have first fruits and seeds got in common?
A number of prominent teachers of the gospel and preachers have been preaching incessantly about first fruits and I bet a number of columnists have really gotten a bit confused with the term.
This is because it features prominently among the “popular” teachers that you find especially on Christian Television.
Sometimes the simplest   answer is the correct one instead of philosophising and theorising, because instead of constructing, we end up demolishing!
Seed can be defined as the unit of reproduction of a flowering plant, capable of developing into another such plant whilst first fruits can be defined as the first agricultural produce of a season, especially when given as an offering to God.
This practice was very common in the Old Testament and had a very powerful principle behind it.
Now some schools of thought indicate that first fruit and tithe are almost one and the same thing, I personally feel that is a never ending argument. However, what makes sense is the principle behind first fruits. This being.
Always sow your first fruit as it is all seed!
Now, when I speak of sowing your first fruits, I am not referring to tithing, which is a very powerful spiritual principle for success and prosperity. No.
I am speaking about the principle of taking a portion of what you have harvested and keeping it as a seed for future planting.
In the old days before scientific agriculture came on the scene, whenever our ancestors harvested, they would retain a portion of the harvest in the kitchen by the stoves for it to dry and thus remain dry and pest free until the next planting season.
This “seed” was never eaten or used in any way regardless of the circumstances that would occur. It was always preserved as a stock for the next time of planting.
When it comes to business and money, this is a very important habit to foster. By taking a portion of your earnings (harvest) and retaining it for future investment (planting) you are securing your increase in that arena of life.
In fact, the more financially challenged you are, the more you must utilize this principle to come out of that situation.
I have heard sermons where people are compelled to plant seeds in order to come out or “break the back of poverty”.
I heard one very prominent preacher state “I broke the poverty stronghold in my life with a thousand dollar seed”. I feel this is going a little too far and manipulating the desperation levels of the hearers to selfish ends.
However, there is a “truth” within that statement. See, that seed is not supposed to go to the preacher or his church (unless God expressly commanded you to do so; 1 Kings 17:8-10), it is supposed to go into the “ground” of your life.
In other words, that “seed” is your substance and that substance should be “planted” into the relevant “ground” where it can germinate and grow.
Let me repeat a phrase I mentioned earlier on, “if what you hold in your hands is too little (insufficient, inadequate, scanty), then you are holding seed”.
It should immediately be planted in appropriate ground, tended, watered and in due course, it will bear fruit, if you do not lose heart that is!
Let me stress this one, the poorer and more desperate your situation is, the more you need to practice this principle if you want to “break the back of poverty”!
Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, you can never see fresh fruit. This fruit will only manifest where seed has been sown – period!
So, how do we ensure that we “sow” our seeds correctly?
We must first have a dream. The dreams always caters for the “why” factor. Why do you want to become a successful business man?
Why would you want to be a lawyer, or nurse, or Member of Parliament? The “why” factor is the compass point to which our “arrow” points north, for without it, we lose direction and find ourselves elsewhere, away from our true “north”.
This dream is then broken down into manageable goals that build toward the dream; those goals are further broken down into tasks relating to the short, medium and long term objectives of the same.
The goals and tasks are the “how” factor. In this we take stock of where we are, we certainly know where we would like to go.
We then consult a map and then determine the best route and resources needed (this is where our seeds are sown) to that destination (our dream).
One resource that is going to be demanded of is money.
This is why I mentioned earlier that there was some truth in the charismatic preacher’s message.
You will need to sow “a thousand dollar” seed to break the back of poverty. However, this “thousand dollar seed” is to be “invested”.
Suppose you have no “thousand dollars” to sow? Then what?
If value = income and wealth = time + effort + money. Then we can assume that income = money.
If income = money and value = income. Then our final deduction can thus state wealth = time + effort + value, where the value replaces the money. All one needs as a seed is value. Value is gained through wisdom and understanding.
And where can you gain wisdom? The fear of the Lord truly is the beginning of wisdom.
When wisdom is embraced, ways are shown, understanding is increased and with understanding comes a seeking after knowledge.
This is possible if the following factors are there namelya burning desire for accomplishment; commitment to a level where you are willing to die for it; consistency in the right actions in spite of the initial low results and patience, that being willingness to wait for the fruit, no matter how long the delay.
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