“The guarantee of our inheritance…”
Ephesians 1:14

“What did you get?” That’s a common question kids asked each other when they headed back to school this week. They wanted to share with their friends their excitement about their favorite Christmas gifts.

“What did you get?” That’s a question we can ask ourselves about the Christmas season this year. The twelve days of Christmas are over. What did you get?

In Ephesians 1:3-14, Paul reminds us of all we receive from God because of Jesus’ birth at Christmas. In Christ, God…

Gives us every spiritual blessing Chooses us
Makes us holy and blameless Adopts us
Gives us his grace Redeems us
Gives us an inheritance Forgives us
None of these arrive in nicely-wrapped boxes or in Christmas stockings. In fact, these blessings are not physical gifts at all. So how do we know we have them?

Verse 14 tells us that we who “heard the word of truth… and believed in (Jesus), were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.” The Holy Spirit is alive in us. When we hear “the word of truth”, the Spirit works faith in our hearts. His presence guarantees the presents of God.

So when you look back over Christmas 2019 and ask yourself, “What did I get?” You can look at the manger and answer with confidence,

“Everything.”

Spirit of the living God, thank you for being my guarantee of everything God gives me through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Contributed by Rev. Steve Moser