"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of His glory." Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV
Isn't it amazing how Jesus reassures us in our most uncertain moments? He started this with the disciples. All of the dialogue He was having with the disciples about leaving them (John 14) made them worry a bit. Most of them had hung out with Him throughout His entire ministry. They were friends. They enjoyed being with Him. Although they knew He was the Messiah, they did not like the thought of Him leaving. Jesus, compassionate as He is, reassured them by letting them know He was going away to prepare a place for them where they could be with Him always. He was not leaving for good, but would come back to get them. He shared that He had given them everything they needed to carry the Gospel throughout the world. But that wasn't enough. Upon sensing their angst, He says, "If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever." Jesus loves us so much that He wanted to ask His Father if He would give us some comfort... some reassurance so that we would know that He really is going to return to get us. Paul, in Ephesians 1, gives us a little more clarity on that request. Once we heard and accepted the message of our Risen Savior and the good news of our salvation, there were perks! One of the joys of being a child of the King is knowing that we are marked. Designated. Chosen. The Holy Spirit, which is a promise fulfilled, lives in us, guaranteeing that we belong to God and will one day be able to live with Him in eternity. Oxford Dictionary defines deposit as "a first installment on the purchase of something or as a pledge for a contract." Jesus says: Don't worry. This will all work out just fine. I know what I am doing, and so does my Father. I will give you a gift to reassure you. You will feel His presence and know that I am near. The Holy Spirit is an installment until the covenant comes to its fullness. He guarantees that Jesus loves us, that we have been sealed and there is nothing that will ever change that. He guarantees that we will get what's been promised, our inheritance. He guarantees that we are not orphans, but that we have been adopted, and soon Dad's coming to get us. He is a guarantee that we are God's possession. Even so, Come Lord Jesus.