Dear <<First Name>>,

‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:9-10

When we read through the laws in Leviticus, we should be looking for principles of the Spirit that are universal to all people. Many of the commands were intended specifically for the Israelites, but within them is the heart of Abba from a universal perspective. While the laws do not apply to our context, the wisdom and principles always apply. 

This principle of the harvest is one of them. The Lord gives us a prohibition that is quite timely for this age of consumerism. "Don't take and consume all your fruit (income) on yourself. The custom of most Americans is to consume not just our field, but to borrow even more from the fields of others (debt). When we harvest with the eye to consume all, we dishonor the Lord for two reasons. 

The first reason is that we think that what we have is actually ours. The statement, "I am the Lord" reminds us that He is the owner of it all. When we consume our paychecks thinking that they are ours and not the Lord's, we become selfish at heart and also tend to move toward the spirit of consumerism. 

The second reason we dishonor the Lord is that we do not make provision or care for the poor. The command to leave the "second harvest" was to insure that we would care for the poor. When we receive our paychecks, do we not only tithe, but have some provision in our minds for the poor? We should have a plan to sow a portion of every harvest (paycheck) into the lives of the poor. We can do this through child sponsorship, donating to Samaritan's Purse or other ministries to the poor. 

The key to freeing ourselves from consumerism is to give. First our tithe (10%) of our income and then to leave an offering for the poor. He is the giver of all we have. Let's honor Him as good asset managers for His Name's sake. 

Here is the today's reading: