The Firstfruits of the Spirit—Romans 8:23
"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" (Romans 8:23)
Heart change comes quickly on the heels of Salvation. This is because at Salvation our entire being and nature is completely changed when we get the Holy Spirit deposited inside of us testifying to the fact that we now belong to the family of God. The Holy Spirit is given to us as the first fruits of our eternal redemption through Christ Jesus. This is a foretaste of the blissful things that are to come. Our bodies long to be clothed with Christ and like creation, we groan inwardly a waiting for this adoption to take place.
If the world and it's desires held anything over you, once you are born again, the illusions of this world seem to fade away. Replacing them comes a longing to be reunited with Christ. Paul talks in detail about this desire. In II Corinthians 5 Paul talks about a inward groaning in which we long to be further clothed and fitted with our heavenly dwelling. On this earth we long and groan under the burden of this body because we are being fitted with a heavenly body fashioned after Jesus ( II Corinthians 5:2-5 ). But in the same way that he is preparing us and making us fit for this heavenly body, the Holy Spirit is given to us as a guarantee of the fulfillment of this promise while on this earth ( II Corinthians 5:5 Amp ). So in this we can rejoice knowing that we have already received the firstfruits of our redemption.
The amazing thing about knowing this promise is that we can rest assured of our future with God. He left nothing up to chance but has done everything to bring restoration to us through his son Jesus. Today I am so blessed to be called a child of God. I am so blessed to have the Holy Spirit inside of me to testify to this wonderful truth every moment of the day. I pray that this truth blessed you today, Amen!