James 1:18

Mornin', y'all! :)

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James 1:18
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

There are three parts to this little verse:

1) of His own will-- just because He wanted to. Not because of anything we did or would do or hadn't done, but just because He wanted to.

2) He brought us forth by the word of truth-- "brought us forth" meaning, literally, "gave birth to us". We are born, spiritually, by the word of truth. Our very life is in the truth!

3) that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures-- the book of James was written to Jews, who would know that under the Jewish law, the "firstfruits" were devoted things, dedicated to service and sacrifice for the Lord. So if we are the firstfruits of His creatures, shouldn't we be devoted to Him--for service and for sacrifice? This kind of devotion is not an obligatory sort of thing, but is simply the overflow of a life that is born out of truth.

Father, Your grace will never cease to amaze me! Thank You for the gift of being Yours--just because You wanted me. Help me to live this life born of truth, devoted wholly to You!

May the Lord richly bless you as you live a life born of truth, devoted to Him!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website