What are some of the benefits of being saved? (continued…)
Ephesians 1:3-14
- He seals us with the Holy Spirit (13).
Have you ever gone shopping for a used vehicle? What is most important to you when you go to check one out? You might be most concerned about its color. Or maybe you are looking at the frame under the flatbed and wondering how big of a gooseneck you can pull. Or you might be impressed by how wide the tires are or how high it rides above the muddy roads. If you are like me, your first look goes to the sticker price in the window.
But keep this in mind, more important than the color, frame, tires, accessories, or price is what you see when you pop the hood, what you hear as you turn the key and what you feel as you take it for a spin. The most important part of your new vehicle, regardless of everything else, is the engine which gives the vehicle the power to go. Here is a tip, if the vehicle takes 3 or 4 tries with the key before it starts up, or if there is an incredible screech to be heard when it sits at an idle, or if you see smoke coming out of the exhaust and smell a faint whiff of antifreeze, or if the engine almost dies when you pull out onto the road, DON’T TAKE IT!!!
And this brings us to the most important benefit of being saved. We have looked at many blessings that God gives to us, blessings that we do not deserve at all. Let’s review. God chooses us, makes us holy, loves us, adopts us, is pleased with us, shares His praise with us, redeems us, forgives us, shares His riches with us, gives us wisdom, reveals His will to us, gathers us together with Him, and gives us an inheritance. These are all wonderful blessings! But, in a way, they might be compared to the superficial details of the used vehicle in the car lot. They make us look and feel good, but they don’t take us places with God. Better than the superficial details, God gives us the unlimited powerhouse of the Holy Spirit inside of our new souped up hearts that is ready to be fired up to take us for a spin around our community, down the highways and byways of life, and everywhere else God calls us to go.