Seal of Guarantee

If you have ever bought a house, you are aware of the extensive documentation required. The buyers and sellers use these documents to give certain commitments and warranties. Many of the documents may require a notary to place their seal on the documents to guarantee the authenticity of the signatures.

II Corinthians 1:21-22 says, “And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” It is God who calls us to Himself. It is He who then works in us to make our faith strong, placing upon us His blessings. He gives us the Holy Spirit to empower us and as a seal of protection and steadfast love. He is God’s guarantee of the hope He faithfully gives.

Body Changes

Now I am in my mid-70s and my body seems to be changing daily. Most of the changes are not welcome as my body is feeling the effects of longevity and inadvertant abuse. I spend a lot of time now just taking care of the body parts that are not working well. Oh, for a new body!

I Corinthians 15:51-53 says, “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” We have this firm and solid hope that one day we will be changed from the weak mortal bodies we now have into immortal bodies. These imperishable bodies will allow us to stand before a holy God and worship together will all the saints who have believed in Him and trusted Him for salvation.

No Time Like the Present

There have been times that I have thought of doing some good and kind act for somebody. For whatever reason, I fail to do it right away. Later, I feel that the time has passed for me to be able to do this good thing. So, it never gets done. Both the person that I meant to do this kindness for and I lose out on the blessing that would have been ours if I had followed through.

Judges 16:28 says, “Then Samson called to the Lord, and said, ‘O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” After many years of ignoring God’s call upon his life, Samson finally turns back to God. It is never too late to do the right thing. God honored Samson’s request and returned His gift of strength to Samson. Samson had messed up quite a bit up to this point and was now about to die. Yet, God heard his cry for help and gave Samson what He asked for and needed at the time.

Leadership Styles

I am retired now, but I have worked under leaders with many differing styles of leadership. Some were genuinely concerned with my success and led with encouragement and support. The major concern of others was that things be done in their way and in their timing. They tended to be more harsh in interactions with them.

In Hosea 11:4 God says, “I led them with cords of kindness, with bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down and fed them.” God leads us in His kindness, gently urging us to follow Him.

Habits for Good

We tend to think of habits as harmless quirks of our personalities. But many habits lead us away from the people we want to be. For instance, we may have a habit that other people find distasteful and drives people away from us. Then, we have a hard time developing relationships. We may also have a habit that can get us into trouble, like the habit of easily getting angry over the slightest offense. On the other hand, we may also have habits that are beneficial, like the habits of courtesy and humility.

Romans 6:19 says, “For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present you members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.” Habits are not harmless obsessions, they have lifelong consequences. Under the Holy Spirit’s guidance and power, make sure that your habitual practices lead to righteousness and sanctification.