«You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance» Ephesians 1:13, 14
ONE DAY, Judah, Jesus’s main ancestor, ran into a woman on a seldom-used road. He immediately began dialoguing with her and propositioned her. The woman agreed to have sexual relations with Judah, but before doing so, asked him, «How much will you pay to have sex with me?» (Genesis 38:16, NLT). Judah offered to send her a goat from his flock. Then the woman told him, «First give me something as a deposit until you send it» (verse 17, GW). Thus Judah gave her his seal, cord, and walking stick as a guarantee that he would send what he had pledged. After several days had passed, Judah sent the woman a goat, but they could not find her. The woman did not have the goat, but she had the deposit that gave her the right to receive the goat.
Many years later, Paul wrote to the Ephesians and told them, «In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory» (Ephesians 1:13, 14).
You might be wondering, «What do the story of Judah and Tamar and what Paul says in Ephesians I have in common?» It just so happens that in Genesis 38:17, the Greek version of the Old Testament used the word arrabön (åppaßév) to refer to the deposit Judah gave Tamar as a guarantee that he would keep his promise. And in Ephesians, Paul uses the same Greek word, arrabön, to refer to the Holy Spirit.
In practical terms, God found you by the roadside one day and offered you everlasting life, the opportunity to live in a new world. The Lord gave you the Holy Spirit as a guarantee that you will receive what He promised you, so that you would not doubt He would keep His word.
The Spirit’s presence in our lives is the advance deposit that assures us we will receive the coming glory that has been promised. Do you have that deposit? If you still don’t, ask the Lord to fill your heart with His Holy Spirit. He will.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2023
“I AM WITH YOU”
From: J. VLADIMIR POLANCO
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Avineyda Hernández
