25 Sep October 3rd Daily Devotion

A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON PAUL’S SECOND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

GUARANTEED

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “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.”

“Unconditional lifetime guarantee!”  That is what the sales contract said when I purchased the new composite decking.  The guarantee included the color would not fade, there would be no rotting of the individual pieces, maintenance was eliminated.  Yet, in less than three years the color faded, the pieces began to disintegrate literally turning into dust.  My deck not only looked terrible but was totally unsafe to walk on.  It took a long time to resolve the issue.

Many of you reading this devotion today have had a similar experience.  Warranties and guarantees are not always what their words seem to say.  It takes a lawyer to untangle the legalese and even then, the most trained litigator is sometimes unable to get things straightened out.

So, in today’s devotional verse St. Paul says, God “guarantees what is to come.”  This promise completes a paragraph in which he has stated that God’s word is not wishy-washy, what it says it means (it is truth) and you can be sure, certain, and confident that what God has promised He will do.  He then concludes in these final two verses urging you to “. . . stand firm in Christ.”  He says you can do that because God has  “. . . anointed (you), set His seal of ownership on (you), and put His Spirit in (y)our heart as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

The bottom line for you is, can you trust God’s guarantee?  The answer is a resounding YES!  Your assurance is through the fact that God promised to send your savior from sin and He did. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8)

The seal, the guarantee is Christ’s resurrection. His resurrection guarantees your resurrection! “Death has been swallowed up in victory” for you! “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)

Prayer:  Thank You heavenly Father for bringing Your Son Jesus back to life on Easter morning guaranteeing my resurrection on the last day.

Christ is arisen From the grave’s dark prison.

So let our joy rise full and free; Christ our comfort true will be.

Alleluia!

Were Christ not arisen, Then death were still our prison.

Now, with Him to life restored, We praise the Father of our Lord.  Alleluia!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Now let our joy rise full and free;

Christ our comfort true will be.

Alleluia!

(LSB 459)