From Death to Life
OPENING PRAYER:
Jesus, help me approach scripture with an open mind today. Give me eyes that see and ears that hear as I seek to know you and follow you better.
READ:
“Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the Word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” James 1:15-18
REFLECT:
This time of year, if you get out of the heart of the city at all, you’ll probably see combines and wheat trucks rolling through fields and heading to the grain elevators. Having grown up in a small farming community, I love watching harvest unfold around me.
As I read these verses in James, I’m reminded of how quickly a crop can go bad if the wrong pests or disease are allowed to take hold. If not handled quickly with the right methods, an entire crop could be a devastating loss.
So, it is with sin. If we let it take root (become full-grown), or respond to it in unhealthy ways, it can have devastating consequences. But if we respond appropriately and remember the character of God and the hope of Christ, we turn the tide and find a bountiful harvest ahead.
APPLY:
Verse 18 tells us that, through our new birth in Christ, we are the firstfruits of God’s creation. “Firstfruits” refers to the best that the harvest produces. What an incredible thing to remember as we face each day --- we were created and named as “good” and are meant to yield a good and beautiful harvest. Let us carry that name and reminder with us each day.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Jesus, thank you for the gift that you have given us. Thank you for bringing me back into the fold and for reminding me of God’s good will for my life. Help me live that out today.