The Sealing of the Spirit

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"He ... set his seal of ownership on us.... —2 Corinthians 1:21-22

Bible Reading

2 CORINTHIANS 1:18-22

Devotional

We must not grieve the Holy Spirit, for in him we are "sealed for the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30). God has sealed us by giving us the Spirit (2 Cor. 1:22). We have received the Spirit as God's seal.

A seal is a mark of ownership. Today people are still finding ancient jars and vessels with the seal of an owner who lived long ago. In a similar way we place our name or stamp in a book to mark it as our property. Not only the sealing of things but also the sealing of persons is common in the Bible. The best example is the sealing of the 144,000 in Revelation 7. It means that God puts his mark of ownership on them. He writes his name on them. They are his. Therefore they may not be hurt in the last judgment.

Also, baptism "in the name of" the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is a kind of marking of a person as the property of God.

When God redeems a person, that is, when he buys that person back, he pays with the price of his Son. We were redeemed not with gold or silver "but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Pet. 1:18-19). After paying so dearly, God does not want that person to get lost again. He seals that child not by a visible mark but by giving the Holy Spirit as a constant companion. In that way we are "sealed for the day of redemption."

Maybe it takes more power to keep a person with Christ than to bring him to Christ. At least, that's the way it often looks to us. At first there are so many good intentions, but we fail to fulfill them. There are so many brand-new feelings, but they evaporate.

Where is the staying power, the strength to hold on and stick it out? The Holy Spirit is that power. The Spirit makes the lordship of Christ real in our lives and establishes us in an everlasting relationship to our heavenly Father. He cannot and will not disown us. He marks us as God's own—now and in the last day.

REFLECTIONS

Where in your life, right now, do you especially need the staying power of the Holy Spirit, the "strength to hold on and stick it out"?

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As a child of God, as an heir to His kingdom, as a chosen people, we are sealed in His hand. When we have been bought at the price of Christ's death, there is none that can remove us from His grip. What a great God we serve. We need to remember who we belong to each day. We may not have a physical stamp on our foreheads or visible name tags that say "chosen by Christ" but we should also be living like we do. We have a precious gift now that we've been bought by the blood of Jesus. The Holy Spirit, our Companion, our insight into the ways of the Lord. We need not feel lost when times get tough, we need only remain in the Lord, press on in His word and in the Holy Sacraments. Remember that we are eternally His child and that we can find joy in every circumstance, no matter what it is. Because as we are His children, as we live a life that is pleasing in His sight, as we grow more into the person He has called us to be - as we hang on tight to the enlightening of the Holy Spirit - we will be reminded to whom we belong. We can stand firm. And know that we have Perseverance of the Saints.

The reflection question asked: "Where in your life, right now, do you especially need the staying power of the Holy Spirit, the "strength to hold on and stick it out"?" Let me get a bit personal with you. For me, I have a bit of temper lately. I'm incredibly frustrated with certain areas of my life and instead of truly handing it over to the Lord and doing what I know I should do, I just let things build up inside of me and then eventually I have a meltdown and explode. Sadly - my husband is usually the bearer of my explosion. I need the "staying power of the Holy Spirit" in these areas of my life that I'm frustrated with. I also need to "stick it out" with situations that I am not in control of. If you don't already know, Bud and I are hoping to have a baby. We're trying is what everyone calls it. I have a certain condition that adds difficulty to that and this past month - I got 1 positive test and about 4 negative. Eventually it became obvious that I was indeed NOT pregnant and I think I've been rather depressed without actually talking about it to many people. I need to remember that God is in control. I need the staying power of the Holy Spirit to comfort me when no words have truly brought about real comfort. Not that my friends and husbands words aren't helpful. But in the end, I need to let go, give up my expectations and trust that God knows what He is doing.

Lord, help me to remember who I belong to. Let my life be a reflection of You and please let me to persevere in this race laid before me. Please, Holy Spirit, encompass me and let me find my peace in You. We love you, Lord. Let us all be comforted and lead by your Spirit, God. Let us press on. Amen.