FirstFruits

Rom 8:22-25  “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.“

This is one of those verses that perfectly illustrates the here and the not yet of the kingdom of God.

I remember how a little over two years ago my wife and I hurried to the hospital as we awaited the birth of our first grandchild. It had been a surprise when the news had come that our daughter we pregnant.  After the shock wore off an expectation settled in as the months progressed and we waited for the call.  When we got there we knew that the time was close at hand but there was no way of knowing how long the process was going to take.  We knew we were grandparents but we didn’t know what he would look like.  Would he be healthy? Would he look like our daughter?  The closer the time got, the more the labor pains intensified.  We hadn’t met our grandson yet, but we already loved him.  At that time the waiting seemed to take forever.  I can’t even begin to know how interminable that time must have felt for my daughter.  And yet, in the grand scheme of things it was really a relatively short period of time and now our grandson is well into the third year of his life.

We know that there is a day coming when we will be raised up with Christ and we will experience the fullness of our sonship.  The process will be complete and we will experience the full inheritance of what the Father has for us. 

For now it is accessible in doses but its fullness remains in the distance. Knowing that it is coming keeps us going from day to day.  Some days we see miracles but many days we still experience the suffering that comes as a result of the current reign of sin in this world.  Because of sin people die, people get sick, people experience pain and suffering.  That pain reminds us that we are still alive and are still in process.  The difference is that while we are still in the midst of the here and the not yet of kingdom, those of us who are in Christ have the Holy Spirit to use that suffering to mature and strengthen us.  The Holy Spirit is that “first fruits” that shows us how we can live if we have faith.  He points us to how it will be.

My kids love going to the mall.  For me it is an exercise to be endured.  However, one of the benefits of going to the mall is the obligatory trip to the
Food Court
.  As we walk around there are people offering samples of the different fares that each restaurant provides.  They give you just a taste in order to entice you to buy your meal from them.  In a sense that is the work of the Holy Spirit.  He gives us just a taste of what heaven is going to be like.  He gives us glimpses into our future when we will be made white as snow and we will be Christ’s bride.

1 Cor 13:12  “We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.).”

We have become an inpatient generation.  “I want my money and I want it NOW!” goes the commercial.  Kids constantly ask, “Are we there yet?”  We have become so focused on destinations that we miss the view along the way.  My favorite axiom is “the joy is in the journey”.  Yes, we have to wait for the Day of His return for His kingdom to be fully established and the perfection that comes along with it. However, there is so much that have yet to experience while we are still in this shell, it would be a shame to miss what God has for us because we are so future focused. Remember the old ketchup commercials? A-n-t-i-c-i-p-a-t-i-o-n was the song that played in the background as the person salivated waiting for the ketchup to slowly flow unto his hot dog. 

Rom 8:22-25  “All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs.  These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance.  That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us.  But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

There is an old saying, “he is so spiritually minded that he is no earthly good.”  We don’t want to be that person.  Yes, we have a hope for the future that keeps us moving toward the goal, but while we are in the here and now He has a plan for us to be His ambassadors.  The joy is in the journey.

For now let our lives be “first fruits” of the kingdom of God.

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