When you believed, God placed His seal on you!

 “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.” (Eph. 1:13-14 NIV)

I love blackberries!

As a youth, I loved to pick blackberries. I was fortunate to live in a community where they grew wild everywhere. I loved to eat them raw and any way they were prepared. I loved them in cobblers, pies, and on pancakes. I especially loved them made into jelly.  We made large batches of it each year. Blackberry jelly cooking on the stove filled our entire house with its wonderful fragrance. When it was done cooking it was poured into small jars and then hot paraffin wax was poured into the top of each one to create an airtight seal. The seal protected the jelly from anything that could contaminate it. The jars were then placed on a shelf in the pantry ready for us to use them throughout the rest of the year. One of my favorite things to do was to open a fresh jar of jelly by removing the waxed seal with a kitchen knife and get a whiff of the wonderful fresh blackberry aroma.

God has sealed you!

Similar to the waxed seal on jars of blackberry jelly, when you believed, God placed a protective seal on you with His Holy Spirit. It is there to keep you safe and guarantee your inheritance as His possession until the day of redemption. This is something to praise God about! (Eph. 1:13-14)

You can be assured

“I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Tim. 1:12b KJV)

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28 NIV)