“Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 5:5)
In yesterday’s devo, Paul dropped the answer to the riddle of the ages on us. Why do we exist? God created us to be with him forever. It’s what we are meant for.
So what is God waiting for? Why doesn’t he just take us home the moment we trust in Jesus for salvation? Isn’t it kind of mean of him to tell us what we’re made for and then keep us from getting there for another 60 years or so?
The answer is complicated, but we can be sure God has a purpose for us between now and the time we cross the welcome mat of heaven. And he hasn’t left us alone. At that moment of salvation, he gave us his own Spirit to begin to change us, to give us his power to live here and—this is huge—as a promise that we will arrive in heaven when the time is exactly right.
Think: What difference does it make in your daily life as a Christian that God’s Spirit lives with you? How does it change the everyday experience of living physically apart from God in heaven?
Pray: As a Christian, thank God for the gift of his Holy Spirit in you and the promise of your future with him forever.
Do: Notice the next time you or someone else is asked to put a deposit down as a promise of future payment and think about what promise God was making to you when he gave the Holy Spirit.