During the Easter season, I’ve always enjoyed the pretty colors of jelly beans. In honor of the love that Jesus had for us to die on the cross and rise again, I have composed a poem with rhyming stanzas that highlight colors in a jelly bean bowl. I pray that you will share this poem as a way to lead others to the Cross and honor Jesus, our Savior.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 KJV
Happy Easter! He is Risen! Hallelujah!
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, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV
As believers in Jesus, we have been given a taste of heaven’s glory and the eternal peace of being with Jesus. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit which guarantees that we belong to God throughout our earthly lives and in heaven! The peace and joy that are provided now in our hearts are just a taste of what is to come in eternity.
Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:13 give a relatable picture of how a seal guarantees ownership. Ephesus, at the time Paul would have traveled there, was a port city where ships would deliver cargo wrapped and sealed from other cities. If someone purchased goods and had them delivered to Ephesus by boat, the dock workers would see the seal of the owner and immediately know to whom the cargo belonged. In the heart of a believer, the seal of the Holy Spirit signifies that we belong to God, have been adopted into his family and are filled with the fullness of God. This seal of the Holy Spirit guarantees our inheritance forever!
In ancient Greek commercial transactions, a down payment provided proof that the buyer would provide the rest of the purchase price to secure a legal claim. When we think about the deposit that the Holy Spirit guarantees once we believe in Jesus, our hearts overflow with hope in grasping how wide, long, high and deep that the love of Christ is (Ephesians 3:18) The Holy Spirit is given now on earth as a down payment for us but is just a taste of what is yet to come. God gives us the Holy Spirit now not just guaranteeing our glorious inheritance in heaven but in actually giving us a taste of heaven by providing increasing peace and joy while we are on Earth.
The Holy Spirit placed a seal on you once you believed in Jesus and gave you the benefits of being in His family. You have a guaranteed inheritance for the future and for now. You have a taste of the fullness of God with more to come in heaven. The more you taste from reading the Bible, praying and worshiping, you will keep wanting more of His truth, of His peace, of His joy.
Beloved, we are redeemed completely now, but will one day receive our eternal inheritance. We rejoice over the guarantee that the Holy Spirit has provided for our inheritance for eternity in heaven and is giving us glimpses of His glory now.
The taste of God’s glorious guarantee through the Holy Spirit encourages us to know, love, honor and share Him.
How is the guarantee of the Holy Spirit affecting you?
The Holy Spirit creates a longing in us for what He can provide now and in the future. In the believer’s heart, the Holy Spirit plants elements of love, of His power and of His blessing allowing us to expect his gifts. We are prone to forget our reward in heaven and grow tired of the struggle, but God has entrusted us with the Holy Spirit. He will help us live in the joy that he has provided now and later in heaven. The rest of the world should be able to take note that we belong to God.
I am so glad that I heard “the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation” (Ephesians 1:13) and believed in Jesus. Not only have my sins been forgiven by Jesus, but I have His Spirit living in me. God’s presence filled the tabernacle and temple in the Old Testament (Leviticus 26:11, Numbers 14:10) and now His presence fills us as temples of the living God (1 Corinthians 3:16. It is such a blessing to know that the Holy Spirit lives in me and is producing the attributes known as Fruit of the Spirit in my life. (Galatians 5:22 – 23)
What’s your truth? Have you realized the enormity of the seal of God on your life? You are under his care and protection. Your welfare now and your future inheritance have been taken care of by the seal and guarantee of the Holy Spirit. God’s truth makes an impression on the soul of a Believer causing us to have a right to an eternal inheritance.
The Holy Spirit speaks to us “that we may understand what God has freely given us.” (1 Corinthians 2:11-12) As a Believer, the Holy Spirit is living inside of you, illuminating truths and impressing them into your mind. He desires for us to speak and express what is on our hearts in prayer and read God’s Word of truth. He is our Counselor who listens well as we pour our hearts out in prayer. Jesus hears our prayers and intercedes on our behalf to the Father.
If you don’t know Jesus, you can. You can know the love that he has for you by believing in Him now and believing that he died for your sins. The cross made a way for the ultimate price to be paid for the sins of the world. Thank you, Jesus. Please pray now and invite Jesus into your life if you don’t know Him. If you know him, pray and thank him for his sacrifice. Praise to Him!
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 ESV
