Ephesians 1:13-14, NIV
Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory.
I once bought a wonderful old car. It was exactly what I was looking for. I put down a deposit in order to secure the car for when I could collect it. Even though it wasn’t fully paid for, it was now mine – the deposit was enough to ensure that when I went to collect the car it would still be there. People often put down a deposit on something they want to buy to secure it for when they can come and pay for it.
A few weeks ago the oldest member of our Ellel Grange prayer team went to be with the Lord. He had joined the team 23 years ago, right at the beginning of the work, just before his seventieth birthday! God had put a wonderful deposit of the Holy Spirit into his life and he served the Lord with great effectiveness all his days. As I was meditating on his fruitful life – and how much we will miss him – I was drawn to this scripture and I realised that God now had full possession of the life into which he had placed a deposit so many years earlier!
It is so encouraging to realise that when a saint passes into the glorious, immediate presence of the Lord, the fullness of what God had planned when he put the deposit into their life has now been realised. Full restoration has taken place, the shackles of the sinful nature have been left behind and the joys of eternity are now theirs. What a wonderful and glorious Gospel!
A friend with whom I was sharing the good news once said to me, “If I believed what you believe, I would be willing to crawl on my hands and knees across a field of broken glass to tell just one person about Jesus!” Praise God, all I had to do was sit with him at his hospital bedside and introduce him to the Saviour. On his last earthly bed he discovered the gateway to eternal life. A couple of days later he was discovering the blessings of God’s deposit in his life. One day, I’m looking forward to sharing fellowship with him.
Prayer: Thank you Lord that the deposit you have placed in my life is a guarantee of your ownership and that one day I will know the fullness of sharing eternity with you. In Jesus, Amen
