Written By Julie Cosgrove
12/29/2017 
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“He chose to give us birth through the word of truth that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.” James 1:18
I  have a plaque that reads: “Anyone can know the number of seeds in an  apple, but only God knows the number of apples in a seed.”
I am not a farmer. But in  studying Scripture, I learned the first fruits told the farmer what  quality his crops would yield that season. That is why they were offered  to God. If they were great, the farmer rejoiced. If they weren’t, he  prayed to God to make them so.
A famer realizes he has a  hand in growing his crop to produce, but it is God who created the  seeds, and God who will bring the sun and the rain.
When we are born, our  parents obviously had a hand in it, but it was God who gave us breath  and purpose. In a way, we are similar to the first fruits, no matter how  many siblings were born before us. We each have potential to produce a  great harvest for the kingdom.
I’m sure many a parent has  prayed for their child to turn out OK, just as the farmer prays for his  crop. But development takes time, nurturing, and patience. Some of us  may not have had nurturing parents. No matter, we have a nurturing God.
The good news is, we never  stop growing — spiritually that is. We have been re-born. Wherever we  are in the process, our fruit can still be of great use. God knows how  much fruit we can bear, and how He will use it to nourish others.
Dearest  Lord, treat us as first fruit – born full of potential and growth. Let  us be reborn in you and flourish, growing in the way you designed us to  grow. Rain down on us your mercy and have your sunshine of grace fill  our days so our fruit may attract others to you. In the name of Jesus we  pray, amen.”
Go Deeper  — Is there someone, even you, who is not bearing the fruit they  potentially could? Picture them as a piece of new fruit on a tree. Pray  for God to bring the necessary elements into their life so they grow  into who He means for them to become. Then ask what your role in it  should be.
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