Firstfruits

“He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” –James 1:18

There’s a big difference between good fruit and bad fruit. I know that my wife will stop going to a grocery store if the fruit is not good and fresh. I can definitely tell the difference when I bite into a crisp apple as opposed to one that has been dropped or is simply old. In the Old Testament, it often talks about firstfruits. That is, in their largely agricultural communities, they would bring the first and the best of their harvest and give it to God as an offering. Their firstfruits were an act of faith that God would provide even more.

James tells us that we are ‘a kind of fristfruits of all he (God) created.’ We aren’t meant to be the whole harvest, but we are the first, and a promise that there will be more. In many ways our lives are meant to be on display for others to see, not to show off, but simply to live out the work that God has done in us as a witness to others of how good our God is.

Chances are God wants to use you to bring in more of the harvest as well. There are people in your family, at your jobs, and in your neighborhood that you can reach. Your fruit (actions, character, etc) will make the difference. May your life just be the start of what God is doing all around you.