Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

August 16– Evening

by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff

“We ourselves have the firstfruits of the Spirit.”

—Romans 8:23

This statement is a declaration of present possession. At this moment—right now—we have the firstfruits of the Spirit. We have the fruit of repentance. We have the priceless pearl of faith, the heavenly emerald of hope, and the glorious ruby of love. We are already made “new creatures in Christ Jesus” by the effective working of God the Holy Spirit.

These are called firstfruits because they come first. In the same way, the spiritual life itself comes first— and then all the graces which adorn that life follow as the fruits of God’s Spirit operating in our souls. The firstfruits were the pledge of the harvest. As soon as the Israelite had plucked the first handful of ripe grain, he knew it wouldn’t be long before the harvest wagon would creak under the heavy load of crops. So, brothers, when the Holy Spirit produces in us that which is pure, lovely, and of good report, these are the firstfruits of our coming glory.

The firstfruits were always set apart to honor the Lord, and our new nature is consecrated to Him. The new life is not our doing so that we should ascribe its excellence to our own merit; it is Christ’s creation, and he must get the glory. But the firstfruits were not the harvest itself, and the works of the Spirit in us at this moment are not the final consummation. Our perfection is yet to come! We must not act as if the firstfruits are the entire harvest. We must hunger and thirst after righteousness and pant for the day of our full redemption.

Dear reader, this evening open your mouth wide and God will fill it. Let the blessing of present possession excite in you a sacred desire for more grace. Groan within yourself for higher degrees of consecration, and your Lord will grant them to you, for he is able to do exceedingly abundantly above what we ask or even think. [M&E]