Down Payment

Eleven years ago, Rosanna and I bought our first house.

I had never been through the process of securing a loan like that.  I was amazed at what was required, and the restrictions were tight because of the 2008 economic crisis. I was told the first thing we needed was a down payment.  Why?  The down payment meant that the home was ours. Even though it would take us years to pay off, Rosanna and I could build a fence, paint the walls, and act as if we owned the place.

In 2 Corinthians 5:4-5, God uses a real estate metaphor to describe the Spirit of God’s work in us:

4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

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.

That word “deposit” is the Greek word “arrabon” which literally means down payment.  The Holy Spirit is God’s down payment in you. That means when you become a Christian, He’s going to begin the work of redecorating you, repainting you, to prepare you for your future self. It means you may not always feel like it, but you belong to Him no matter what.  The Spirit is prompting you today to become your eternal self, your forever self.

Let’s listen, let’s allow the Spirit to work in us, after all, you are where God’s chosen to make His home!

Pastor Jared

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