Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
January 25, 2023
Read 2 Corinthians 5:1-7
1 We know that if the tent that we live in on earth is torn down, we have a building from God. It’s a house that isn’t handmade, which is eternal and located in heaven. 2 We groan while we live in this residence. We really want to dress ourselves with our building from heaven 3 since we assume that when we take off this tent, we won’t find out that we are naked. 4 Yes, while we are in this tent we groan because we are weighed down. We want to be dressed not undressed so that what is dying can be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who prepared us for this very thing is God, and God gave us the Spirit as a down payment for our home. 6 So we are always confident because we know that while we are living in the body, we are away from our home with the Lord. 7 We live by faith and not by sight.
Good Morning, God gave us the Spirit as a down payment for our home!
Oh my! I got goosebumps reading verse 5 of this passage. The Upper Room website uses the Common English Bible for its Scripture passages. Because I was so moved by these words, I decided to visit a couple of other translations. The NIV translates this verse, 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Many translations use the language guarantee, but my eyes are opened by “down payment for our home.”
When I think of a down payment, I feel a commitment to completing the transaction. The larger the down payment, the less likely I am to have a change of heart as I await the time to pay off my purchase.
Because God loves us, he sent his son, Jesus, who paid the price for our salvation. We are given the opportunity to accept and claim him as our Lord and Savior. When we accept Christ, the Holy Spirit enters into us through our baptism. We then begin our walk of faith. Along our journey, we will encounter challenges and we will experience great joy. We will also be tempted by evil as we are immersed in earthly ways.
Through faith, we know that God is always with us. Because God loves us so much, Jesus gave his life to free us from our sins, and the Holy Spirit resides within us as a down payment for our eternal home. God has signed on the dotted line. We belong to God! Hallelujah! Amen!
Loving God, Thank You for being with us. You bless us in unimaginable ways! Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God loves us!
Live in Faith! Pastor Liz
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