Ephesians 1.13-14
13 In him you also,
when you heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation,
and believed in him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance
until we acquire possession of it,
to the praise of his glory.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
As part of this inheritance, I am also given a guarantee. I am given His Holy Spirit to come and dwell within me, empower me, transform me, teach me, lead me, guide me, and protect me. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit Himself is the guarantee of my salvation! That is an important word for me when it comes to my salvation, my faith, and my future: guarantee!
There is no “maybe” or “hope so” when it comes to my salvation. If in fact I have truly been born again and adopted by God to be His child, I have a guarantee of my future, and nothing can take that away. The Spirit of God Himself has been sent to me to dwell in me and keep that inheritance secure, becoming the seal of my redemption in order to keep me in His possession all the days of my life (Ephesians 4.30).
God’s Word tells me in Hebrews 6.13-20 that when someone wants to make their promise sure, they would swear by something greater than themselves (“I swear on my mother’s grave!”). But God can’t do that, as there is nothing greater than Him to swear by! But He wanted “to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His promise, [so] He guaranteed it with an oath.”
So what does He do? He wants me, and all His heirs, to be so convinced of this guarantee, so He swears by two unchangeable things: His Word and His oath to fulfill His promise. In essence, He is swearing by the two things that He has exalted above all things: His Word and His Name (Psalm 138.2), which is His very character! It’s as if He’s saying, “I give you My Word,” and also “cross My heart.” This is amazing, because God knows that His Word alone should be sufficient to convince me, but He also knows my weaknesses and doubts, so He goes above and beyond to gain my confidence and swears by His own character and perfect holiness and integrity!
God never made a promise
that was too good to be true.
-D.L. Moody
He doesn’t just want this to be encouragement for me, but my “strong encouragement” as I seek refuge in Him, knowing He is the anchor for my soul and guarantee of my salvation (2 Corinthians 1.22, 5.5). And I am again reminded, there are some things God can’t do, and one of the things He can’t do is break promises.
Read Again Out Loud and Make it into a Prayer:
Ephesians 1.13-14
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
How Great Thou Art
Carl Boberg, 1885
Personalize and Read or Pray Aloud:
O Lord my God, when I, in awesome wonder,
Consider all the works
Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout
the universe displayed
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
“How great Thou art! How great Thou art!”
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
“How great Thou art! How great Thou art!”
And when I think that God,
His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross,
my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
When Christ shall come
with shout of acclamation
And take me home,
what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim,
“My God, how great Thou art!”
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Pray Aloud:
With my daily bread inside of me,
help me enter into my day;
to have Your Kingdom come,
Your will be done,
in my work as in my play.
As I look to this day and plan my way,
Lord, You direct my steps.
I entrust my life and every moment to You,
as I enter into Your rest.
Father, be glorified in __________ ,
let Your Kingdom come
and will be done,
in and through __________
as it is in Heaven.
Give _________ daily bread,
and thank You for Your forgiveness.
Help me to forgive others,
as I know that You have forgiven me.
Keep __________ eyes fixed
on You and Your Word
so that _______ may not sin against You.
Thank You for Your sovereign love.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Click Here to Have These Devotionals
Sent to Your Phone Daily
(U.S. Residents Only)
