Our Guarantee

Scotty Smith post:  A Prayer Celebrating Our Eternal Inheritance

     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. Eph. 1:13-14

Gracious Father, sometimes reading Paul’s letters is like standing in front of a gushing fire hydrant of your love and affection for us. It’s hard to stand up to the rush of so much glory and grace. It’s wonderfully overwhelming.

A fresh reading through Ephesians has reminded me I’ve been loved before the foundation of the world—chosen and called to life in Christ; justified by faith and declared to be righteous in your sight; adopted and freed to call you, Abba, Father; betrothed to Jesus, and beloved of him. I have a completely forgiven past, a present standing in grace, and a future of unimaginable wonder. There’s no way to calculate the unsearchable, immeasurable riches you’ve lavished on us in Jesus. Wonderfully overwhelming, indeed.

But what encourages me the most today is knowing that all of this is guaranteed. You’ve “sealed the deal” by the Holy Spirit. You’ve guaranteed our inheritance in Christ. You’ve given us the down payment, the firstfruits, the promise of a future beyond our wildest dreams and asking.

There’s no possibility of “bait and switch” or “revoking the warranty.” There’s no factory recalls, no fine print or doublespeak, no possibility of bankruptcy or legal maneuverings. Nothing will sabotage your bringing to completion of the good work you’ve begun in us and in your entire cosmos!

Father, rip and grip our hearts with the gospel of your grace. Constantly stagger, astonish and ramp up our wonder of such a magnificent salvation. Let us be a people who live to the praise of your glorious grace. What else is there? What else could we possibly want to do with the rest of our lives and throughout eternity? What other story would we choose to write for ourselves? So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ glorious and grace-full name.