First Fruits

You may recognize the title of this message as it was the title of today's message given by Pastor Chris. But before it was the title of today's Sunday sermon, it was the title of a phone conversation I had with my mentor earlier this week. You see "my Julie" set me straight. There has been some great fruit lately in my life especially regarding keeping home and hearth. And while the SHE (Sidetracked Home Executives) have set me on the path to a clean home and less stress, somehow I lost track of some other very important priorities like my quiet time. Before the baby came, getting up for a quiet time was no problem, but if I am up early in the morning now it's because I'm nursing, then changing diaper, then feeding again and then changing outfit and so on as you mothers know. But the book challenged me to get up 30 minutes before the rest of the household and get fully dressed and made up. So I started this and quickly realized how much better I felt about myself and how much more productive I was and that if someone wanted to drop by it wasn't an issue because I wasn't still wearing my pajamas at 3 in the afternoon. However, I left out a very important detail: where was my time with the Lord? This is what Julie wanted to know. I said, "well I pray throughout the day and we have worship music playing a lot." That's when she let me have it. I had forgotten my first love. And He was beckoning me to return to him. How could I be so dense to think I could accomplish everything in one day without starting first with him and letting Him recharge my batteries and give me supernatural energy? So I started getting up just 30 minutes earlier to spend that time with Him. And the funny thing is, I never hear my alarm go off because the Lord wakes me up about 5 - 10 minutes before hand. I guess it isn't really funny, it's just Him knowing what is best for me. So my question to you is, what are your first fruits? Is the Lord first of your day and do you have a mentor or accountability partner to keep you in check? I can't imagine where I would be without my mentor touching base with me and making sure that my priorities are in the right place. I once asked Steve, "who made me a good wife?" And his response was, "Julie Collier."