Do you like to receive gifts? Do you like to give gifts? Do you prefer gifts for your birthday or Christmas? What was one of the favorite gifts you ever received? What gift was the most meaningful? Do you look at yourself as a gift?
Gifts can be fun to receive. Sometimes we get exactly what we wanted. Other times, we wonder where the person ever got the idea to give us that gift. At other times, you receive the same gift more than once. Of course, that may indicate you have too much already.
Gifts can also be fun to give. Picking out just the right gift for a loved one can be a joy. On the other hand, when that loved one has everything they need, and maybe want, it can be a real challenge and frustrating.
We likely don’t look at ourselves as gifts. When we think of people who do, we might think they are arrogant or cocky. They think highly of themselves. We see them prancing around as though they own the world. We may even say of them, “They think they are God’s gift to mankind.”
Yet we are told that we are a gift from God. Our very life is a gift. Not only that, but our life through God’s Word is the most important gift. It is a perfect gift of truth given by God. It is a gift that will last forever.
We are given this gift to be a firstfruit of God. What is a firstfruit? Prior to Christ, it was the first ten percent of the crop harvested and offered to God as a sacrifice. We are told that Christ is the firstfruit of those who will rise to life in Him (1 Corinthians 15:20).
What does this mean for us? As a firstfruit, we are made holy in order to make others holy. Our holiness in Christ is within us so we may spread His holiness to others. How do we spread His holiness? By word of mouth. It is much the same as telling someone about a good service we receive. For example, we visit a restaurant, experience good service from the staff, and the food is excellent. We tell others about the restaurant. Our encounter with Christ should cause us to do the same. As a firstfruit, we are like the yeast in a loaf of bread.
I pray we all realize we are a gift from God. I pray we know our life is a gift from Him. I pray we tell others about our experience with Him and His holiness. You are a perfect gift. God has made you a firstfruit. Be like yeast for others. Be a gift for someone else.
James 1:16-18 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.
Marty Pressey 