Trust me
It is God himself who makes us, together with you, sure of our life in union with Christ; it is God himself who has set us apart, who has placed his mark of ownership upon us, and who has given us the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the guarantee of all that he has in store for us.
(verses 21,22)
Isn’t it frustrating when you have to deal with people who say one thing but mean the other, who promise you the earth but, when the time comes to deliver, they don’t. These are the people who talk in terms of both yes and no, as Paul writes about here. They develop a reputation for being people who will do anything for you—but it would be unwise to hold your breath waiting for it to happen.
How different it is with God. If he promises, he delivers. If he gives us a guarantee, it is worth the paper it is printed on—and much, much more. God is totally reliable; he never lets us down.
So when Jesus says that we have eternal life if we hear his word and believe the one who sent him, we can be certain it is so. When he tells us he is going to prepare a place for us, then we know we have an address in heaven. We can be sure that, when God inspires Paul to write that nothing can separate us from God’s love, then nothing ever will.
The Holy Spirit himself is our guarantee. Pretty watertight, that.
Father, I thank you that, in an age where it is difficult to trust anybody, you are totally reliable. Help me to trust you totally and live in the security of your promises. Amen.
by Robert Turnbull, in ‘Renewed Hope for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2000)
Visit the Daily Devotion archives page.
