The Pledge

Read: 2 Corinthians 5

God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 5:5

IN WORD

We look to the Holy Spirit for power. We ask God for the fruit of the Spirit. We want to be filled by Him and to receive His gifts. We ask for His guidance and comfort, just as Jesus promised. And He fulfills all of these roles. But one role the New Testament solidly points to is the Holy Spirit as a deposit, a guarantee—earnest money on a pending investment. He is evidence that the Kingdom is ours.

That may not be comforting for those who see the Spirit as a theoretical force, but if we look to Him for actual experience and empowerment, His presence is evidence of things to come. His gifts, fruit, power, comfort, and counsel are only a foreshadowing, small tastes of something much greater. Paul’s profound statement here, reiterated in Ephesians 1:14 and elsewhere, is that those who have experienced the Spirit can rest in the fact that His work now is only just the beginning. We don’t have to wonder if He is temporarily in our lives, if He comes and goes, or if He is already working in us at full capacity. No, the fact that we have encountered Him, that His presence is within us, is as promising as a down payment on a car or a house. It’s surety for the full measure. He doesn’t just make promises or fulfill them; He is one.

IN DEED

Look to the Spirit as a promise from God that you belong to Him and that He has destined you for much greater experiences with Him. Foretastes of power are an indication of future increase. Budding fruit now is a herald of a significant harvest. Whispers now are hints of full-voice conversations later. Most of what God gives us in this age is a starting point that will only increase in the age to come.

The Spirit is God’s manifestation on earth in this age—and His promise for another realm. He is also the beginning of your inheritance. Count on it. Greater things—vastly greater things—are coming.

ADDITIONAL READING: Ephesians 1:13-14

We might almost say that the whole advantage of having the kingdom within is that we look for it somewhere else.

G. K. CHESTERTON