OCTOBER 29
THE DOWN PAYMENT OF THE SPIRIT
2 Corinthians 5:5-9
5 Now he who made us for this very thing is God, who also gave to us the down payment of the Spirit. 6 Therefore, we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord; 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are courageous, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him. (WEB)
If my wife and I decided that we were in the market to buy another home, the first thing that we would need to do is to make a down payment on the house that we wanted to buy. Once the sellers of the home accept our deposit, then they are contractually obligated to sell their home to us.
In today's Daily Reading, the Apostle tells us that our God and Father actually gave us His own Spirit as a down payment to declare His ownership of us. In 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, he also refers to this down payment again when he said... 21 Now he who establishes us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God; 22 who also sealed us, and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts. (WEB)
If we could see in the spiritual realm as the angels do, I am sure that every believer would be marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit. For it is this heavenly deposit of God's own Spirit that has guaranteed our eternal inheritance. Paul goes on to say that though there is a physical separation from the Lord as long as we are in our natural bodies, our heart connection is secured. One day, we will see Jesus face to face, but until that day, we live by faith and not by sight.
My prayer today is that we would all be aware of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit that has been given to us as a gift from our Father. May we know that His own Spirit that lives within us actually guarantees our inheritance as His children.
While we are called to live in this world, we are subject to many of the broken elements of an orphan based world system. However, I pray that the abiding presence of God's indwelling Spirit that lives within us would be an encouragement that what we are experiencing now is just the down payment of what is yet to come for all of eternity!
Ephesians 1:13-14
13 in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory. (WEB)
5 Now he who made us for this very thing is God, who also gave to us the down payment of the Spirit. 6 Therefore, we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord; 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are courageous, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him. (WEB)
If my wife and I decided that we were in the market to buy another home, the first thing that we would need to do is to make a down payment on the house that we wanted to buy. Once the sellers of the home accept our deposit, then they are contractually obligated to sell their home to us.
In today's Daily Reading, the Apostle tells us that our God and Father actually gave us His own Spirit as a down payment to declare His ownership of us. In 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, he also refers to this down payment again when he said... 21 Now he who establishes us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God; 22 who also sealed us, and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts. (WEB)
If we could see in the spiritual realm as the angels do, I am sure that every believer would be marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit. For it is this heavenly deposit of God's own Spirit that has guaranteed our eternal inheritance. Paul goes on to say that though there is a physical separation from the Lord as long as we are in our natural bodies, our heart connection is secured. One day, we will see Jesus face to face, but until that day, we live by faith and not by sight.
My prayer today is that we would all be aware of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit that has been given to us as a gift from our Father. May we know that His own Spirit that lives within us actually guarantees our inheritance as His children.
While we are called to live in this world, we are subject to many of the broken elements of an orphan based world system. However, I pray that the abiding presence of God's indwelling Spirit that lives within us would be an encouragement that what we are experiencing now is just the down payment of what is yet to come for all of eternity!
Ephesians 1:13-14
13 in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory. (WEB)