Verse for today – “… the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:13-14).”
Have you ever been shopping for a used car and found the perfect one? There is only one problem, you don’t have enough money with you to buy the car on the spot. What do you do? Sometimes you leave a down payment. This money that you hand over to the car owner is your pledge, your promise, your guarantee, that you will return with the rest of the money and buy this car for the full purchase price. You leave a down payment because you really want that car!
God has also left a down payment for those who belong to Him. The down payment, or pledge, is the Holy Spirit. This is why verse 13 calls Him “the Holy Spirit of promise.” He is God’s promise that He is coming back for His own. As we have been discussing God’s blessings on Christians, I am sure you have noticed how they are connected and inter-related in many ways; but, as we examine blessing # 12, you might say God left the best for last.
The Holy Spirit in you is God Himself taking up residence in your heart. Jesus describes it this way to His disciples: “I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you (John 14:16-17).” These verses explain what Peter means when he says Christians have become “partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4).” God is living in those who belong to Jesus; you might say HIS blood is pumping through their veins. What a blessing! What a promise! Christians don’t have to wait for the new heaven and new earth to know and enjoy God; we can enjoy Him now. We can speak with Him; listen to Him; follow and obey Him. The Christian life begins now and goes forward into eternity! Jump for joy Christian; enjoy your privileged position and thank God for being in your life.