Wednesday Devotion 9-2-20 7 Minutes

NO DEPOSIT, NO RETURN

Good evening everyone watching by video this evening,,, it's time for our weekly devotion.

Our reading this evening comes from 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

I'll be reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

21 Now it is God who strengthens us, with you, in Christ and has anointed us. 22 He has also sealed us and given us the Spirit as a down payment in our hearts.

God bless the reading and the hearing of your word this evening.

Let us pray:

Dear Lord,,, as we begin this evening,,, with all that are listening and watching by video,,, we ask that you open our ears to hear and our hearts and minds to receive the message that you have for us today,,, In Jesus' name I pray,,, Amen.

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The devotion that I read this morning,,, was titled "No Deposit, No Return"

The first example that Billy Graham used when he was talking about this verse in my devotion this morning was a down payment or a deposit.

When we purchase something of great value today,,, and we finance it,,, as most of us do,,, whether it's a house,,, car,,, land,,, boat,,, whatever it might be,,, we are usually required to put down a deposit to indicate our sincerity and to promise that our intentions are serious and that we intend to go through with the deal.

It is a form of insurance,,, a guarantee that adds substance to our word.

The bank figures that if we are willing to put money up front for something,,, then we might not back out of the deal as fast as we might if we didn't have anything invested in it ourselves,,, in other words,,, we wouldn't have as much to lose if we didn't put up our part.

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The second example that he used,,, is one that some of you may not know about or understand as quickly as some of us that grew up collecting drink bottles from home,,, or,,, on the sides of the roads,,, or,,, in trashcans.

When I was growing up,,, it was easy for us to earn a little extra money by collecting bottles that had been discarded and return them to the stores for a refund on the deposit that was made when you bought it.

When you bought certain bottles,,, there was an extra price that you paid,,, that the bottle company hoped would make you return that bottle,,, so that they could re-use that bottle again.

Most people would save the bottles at home and return them,,, but some would still throw them out their window while they were driving down the road or throw them in the trash,,, and we could ride our bikes around and pick them up from all of the places that we could find them.

Then once we had several bottles,,, we would take them to a store and receive the refund in cash for them.

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In recent years we have seen the production of large quantities of “no deposit, no return” cans and bottles.

So,,, the stores selling these items do not expect to get them back,,, and,,, we are not required to pay a deposit on them when we make our purchase.

We simply discard them (or better yet recycle them) when the contents have been consumed.

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Now,,, Billy Graham says that,,, God has made some incredible promises to us.

He has promised that we might have a relationship with Him through His Son.

He has promised never to leave us or forsake us and to be with us always.

The Bible is full of promises from God to man.

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Someone might ask, “What insurance do we have that God is serious?

Let us see what kind of deposit He is prepared to put down.”

God’s deposit is the most precious investment anyone could make: His wonderful Son.

Not only is Jesus Christ a sufficient “down payment” on God’s promises,,, He is,,, in fact,,, payment in full!

There are no more payments to be made.

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Remember the song "Jesus Paid It All" and the words - “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow.”

Because of God’s deposit on our lives, He is obligated to meet His promises.

And so He has.

And so He will.

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Billy Graham always ends these devotions with another scripture and he ends this one with 2 Corinthians 7:1 which says: “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”.

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Our most gracious and holy God,,, I have seen how You always keep Your promises to Your people. And I fully trust that You will always do so. I am in Your eternal care, O Lord, and I know You will never leave or forsake me. Please give me the courage and strength to never forsake You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Graham, Billy. Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (p. 280). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.