Guarantee
When we bought a new television, the friendly sales assistant posed a question I did not want to answer. She asked did I want to go for the extended guarantee?
I froze, my mind all in a spin! Could this new amazing product go wrong in just over 12 months? Is it a bad buy? Should we have gone for another make and model? Could we live without having a TV?
She stood there, very patiently, waiting for my reply. Like a good Christian, I took my thoughts captive, shot up an arrow prayer, and said, no thank you.
Looking back on the whole experience, I felt a little pressured to decide on the spot, to pay out more money for the extended guarantee. After all, there is nothing wrong with a guarantee!
Guarantees are a good thing, as they do offer assurance that something will be repaired or replaced. Another way of thinking about a guarantee is that it is a promise with certainty.
In his second letter to the Christians in Corinth, the Apostle Paul wrote some amazing declarations…
“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
Here, Paul told his readers of four things God did for them when they became Christians and were filled with the Holy Spirit:
He helped them to ‘stand’ as believers – able to face whatever came their way.
He anointed them – they were set apart for God’s purposes.
He marked them with His ‘seal of ownership’ – they belonged to God.
He guaranteed a future with Himself for eternity.
Each one of these four are awesome, and together they are incredibly powerful! Not only does God help us in the everyday, but there is also a future-proof guarantee.
That is knowing for sure, that when life on this earth comes to an end, the believer can know, without a shadow of a doubt, that they will be with God in eternity!
This is God’s promise with certainty. Would you like this guarantee in your life? Good news, you can! God asks that you turn and surrender your life to Him, believe in Jesus and follow Him and let Him bring His transformation in your life.
God bless you :)
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader