October 22 – Secured Forever

“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.” – 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NASB)

The Trinity — There are three persons in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. All participate in securing the believer.  We find the promise in today’s passage that first of all, it’s God the Father who established us together in Christ the Son. It is God’s gift as the Holy Spirit who has anointed us and who has marked us with His seal. The one who has established us, anointed us, sealed us, given us the guarantee of the Spirit is none other than God.  So, the reason we are secure is because we’ve been secured in God the Son. Consider 2 Timothy 2:19.  "the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal” ⸺now here's the seal that seals our ultimate redemption ⸺ “The Lord knows those who are His”, and “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.” This seal is symbol of ownership.  The divine seal is proven by two characteristics. The first is that The Lord knows those who he has called and belong to Him. The second is our new way of life

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 What does 'eternal' mean when applied to God's existence?

[Edited 10/22/2022 11:45 AM]

July 25 – Belonging to Him, We are His

 “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NASB)

We can be sure that our God is involved in what happens in our lives as Christians. It is Christ’s saving work of grace that gives believers stability and places them on a firm foundation in Him. Romans 16:25 also speaks to us about who has established us. “Now to Him who is able to establish you…” We all pay special attention to ‘our things’ large or small and they become important treasures. Our verse reminds us that God thinks of us as belonging to Him. For that reason He is actively involved in our lives to maintain that relationship, helping us to stand firm in Christ. He has given us His Holy Spirit to live within us and also to be our guarantee that we belong to Him. Paul in defending his authenticity gives a clear reference to the work of the three members of the Trinity. The authenticity of Paul’s spiritual life and that of every genuine believer is verified by these four divine works (“establishes us,” “anointed us,” “sealed us,” “gave us the Spirit”) accomplished in their lives. Let's be thankful for the pledge of ownership Jesus has given to us in the Holy Spirit.

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February 26 – Picking the Important Things

“And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. … She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.”   Mark 14:5b-6, 8 (ESV)

Context is important. Jesus is near the end of his ministry on earth. He knows the ultimate purpose of His coming to earth is to be a sacrifice for all people. He will be betrayed by his own, turned over to be executed by Roman crucifixion. He visits friends in Bethany. Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus. Martha is being the perfect host. Mary is overcome with sadness and by her love for Jesus. Perhaps she understands better than others what Jesus is facing. Mary takes very expensive perfumed ointment and anoints Jesus by pouring it on His head. Some, led by Judas were indignant, put-out by Mary’s action. They thought it was wasteful of Mary to do this. “They scolded her.”  But Jesus, knowing why she was doing this defended her actions. He saw it as an expression of love and devotion to Him in light of His approaching death as well as a messianic acclamation. Showing comfort or aid to some out of love for our Lord Jesus brings Him honor and glory. We can trust that God knows our motivations⸺selfish and unselfish⸺He is pleased with our loving sacrifices when they are for His name’s sake. 

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June 20 – Sin and Righteousness; Oil and Water

“You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows. -Psalm 45:7  (NASB)

We really have no option to embrace that which is evil.  We are commanded  to hate sin. Wickedness, or sin is prevalent in nearly every form of entertainment, especially on television or at the movie theater.  We’re not suggesting every movie or television program is evil or promotes wickedness because there are those which are intended to combat the forces of evil.  In Hebrews we learn that Jesus is our perfect High Priest because He was tempted in every way just as we are but did not sin.  We, with the power of God through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us are also able to stand firm against the devil’s temptations.  But we need to train ourselves to recognize it wherever it is.  If we compromise this command, we will lose the ability to discern when we are being tempted to accept wickedness in the content of any and all media. Jesus faced temptation three times; from Satan in the wilderness after 40 days of fasting (Matthew 4:1), by Satan through the words of Peter (Matthew 16:23), and in the Garden just before His arrest. We are commanded  to hate sin. If we do not, do we truly love righteousness?

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December 12 - Who is Christ the Lord

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  Luke 2:11 (ESV) 

At the time of the birth of Jesus, there were several messages from heaven which told people on earth what an important event the birth was.  One message came through the angels who came to announce the birth to the shepherds near Bethlehem.  We read about this message in Luke's record in and today's verse from chapter 2 is part of that message.  We've considered that when the baby born in Bethlehem was given the name Jesus, this meant that He would save His people from their sins.  Now in our verse today the angel mentioned that He came as our Savior.  We also notice in our verse now that the baby would be Lord.  That is also a very important name.  When we see pictures of the manger scene with a baby lying there, let's remember that He, Jesus our Lord, deserves honor from us in our lives each day.  He is our Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  It is good to understand Jesus, had the title Christ which means, “the anointed One”, or “the chosen One.”  Jesus is His human name as announced to Mary by the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:31), and Christ is His title, as the promised, chosen, anointed, Son of God.

What does Christ mean?

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October 24 – Established. Sealed. Guaranteed.

“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.” 2 Corinthians 1:22-22 (ESV)

Every promise from our Lord God brings us joy if we have believed in Jesus as our Savior.  Today's promise is especially precious because what God says in this verse is that He is the one who establishes us in Christ.  It is not our effort that has earned for us this place in God's family.  We are in Christ Jesus because God the Father has fulfilled His promise to all who have in faith believing turned to Him.  We read here too that God goes beyond “establishing” us.  Once we are established in Christ, God seals us in there, we are secure if we have truly believed.  Even one more promise is given.  God gives us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee of the seal.  What God  guarantees requires only His word to keep the promise.  We are His.  We belong to God.  We are in Christ, sealed there with the Holy Spirit in residence guaranteeing this promise.  Nothing and no one can break the seal and change our standing.  What a promise to go with today.  Rejoice!

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