Seek First – Kingdom Focused Devotionals

“Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:14).

                When there is an agreement between two parties, an earnest (arrabon) was given which carried the assurance of full payment.  The same word is used in modern Greek for an engagement ring.  The Christian’s experience of the Holy Spirit provides not only the empowering for present day Christian living, He is the pledge of our full inheritance.  Our Spirit-filled present existence is a foretaste of what will be ours when we fully possess our inheritance. 

                Our redemption, which began when we received Christ, will be fully achieved when Christ is brought to culmination and we are transformed completely into His image.  We will then be fully His possession and as such our lives will exist solely to the praise of His glory. 

                In the light of these ultimate truths, it behooves us to live every day in the fullness of the Spirit for the praise of His glory.  What would need to change in your life today for you to live fully to the praise of His glory?   Are you willing to allow the Spirit to make that change? 

Prayer:  Father, fill me with Your Spirit that I may live to the Praise of Your glory.  Amen

“…You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.” (Eph. 1:13b)

                Gentiles and Jews alike who hear the Gospel and believe will be sealed “in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.”  In the ancient world the seal was the personal sign of the owner of a document that certified that the contents were authentic.  It was also the guarantee that the thing or document being sealed had been delivered intact.  The Jews thought of circumcision as a seal (Rom. 4:11) which showed them to be part of the authentic covenant community. 

                The Holy Spirit of promise is the Christian’s seal, certifying the genuineness of one’s faith.  The Holy Spirit baptizes the believer into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13) and provides the empowering for the living of the Christ life.  The inward assurance provided by the Holy Spirit bears witness to the believer concerning the truth of what he/she has believed.  The Spirit in the believer’s life is the undeniable mark of God’s work in the life of the believer and will be evidenced as he/she bears the fruit of the Spirit and manifests the gifts of the Spirit. 

                The “Holy Spirit of promise” means that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit “promises” good things to come.  We will look at this in greater detail tomorrow as we look at verse 14.  The sealing of the Holy Spirit should give you total assurance that God will keep you secure for all eternity. 

Prayer:  Father, thank you for sealing me in Christ by the Holy Spirit of promise.  Amen

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed…” (Eph. 1:13).

                We have been studying all the blessings that are found “in Christ”—blessings which include bring chosen, adoption as sons, redemption, and forgiveness.  The reader or listener is now prompted to respond—“How then does one come to be ‘in Him.’”  If forgiveness, redemption, and sonship are all found “in Him” it should be our greatest passion and concern to be found “in Him.” 

                That is precisely the point Paul answers in verse 13.  He begins with the simple statement—“In Him”—and then defines the process of entry with three words—listening, believing, and sealing.  Today we look at the first two.  For someone to come to Christ, they must first hear the “message of truth.”  The message is “truth” because it comes by way of revelation from God who is Himself truth.  Prior to His departure, Jesus told the disciples that seeing Him they had seen the Father (Jn. 14).  It is in that context that He declares—“I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6a).  The “gospel” is good news because it is the message of the love and redemption of Holy God for sinful man (Rom. 1:16).

                Hearing the word is vital, because by hearing alone comes the knowledge of the truth (Rom. 10:14).  But hearing alone is vain!  Hearing must be accompanied by the response of faith.  Man’s response to God’s sovereign activity revealed in the Gospel, is an essential element in the process of redemption.  We see once again the balance of sovereign activity and human response. 

                Now that you have heard God’s redemptive plan, have you responded by faith?

Prayer:  Thank You for allowing me to have full access to the truth of the Gospel.  Amen