Sealed with a promise.......

This week I was reading the story of Naomi and Ruth and the kinsman redeemer. It is such a beautiful story. My study took me to Ephesians 1:1-14 in the  Bible study  book I am doing.  Brave Honest Questions women ask by Angela Thomas.  I am not doing the video part, simply because I could not get the DVD/CD. However, God is still speaking to me through this study.

Okay back to the topic in Ephesians. Now I have read this scripture countless times over the years and I know I belong to the Lord and He is mine. I understand He is my Kinsman Redeemer. Yet this scripture stood out to me like a beacon this time:

Ephesians 1:13-14 "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory". NKJV

That seal placed by the Holy Spirit is like the promise the bride groom makes to the bride on her wedding day.  He places a seal on her finger to let the world know, she is his and he is hers.  It is a promise to protect, her, love her and cherish her.  In by gone days the bride groom paid a dowry for his bride and redeemed it through his bride and all the rights of the bride groom.  We are sealed with a promise.  A promise much greater than even the picture of a bride groom and his bride can even portray. God, our God has marked us as His.  We belong to Him. We were purchased at a high dowry price, of the Savior's blood.  All we have to do is accept His "proposal". When we accept Him as ours, He marks us with His precious promise through the Holy Spirit.  Now,sometimes words fail me and I can't explain what is in my head. I can't put it in written word like it is screaming out in joy in my head.  But do you get this..........God MARKED us as HIS.  He promised to care for us, provide for us, cherish us and love us. We can't always see how it is being done. We don't always understand why things happen or why life goes the way it is going. However, we are marked with a seal of His promises and HE will never let us down.
I belong to JESUS, totally, completely and undeniably.  He is mine and I am His.  I am marked as HIS.

The day I got married, I took on my husband's name.  I not only wear his ring but I bear his name. Jesus marked me as His the day I accepted Him and I accepted His name, so to speak. As a follower of Jesus I am expected to bring honor to his name. Just as I would not want to shame my husband's good name, I do not want to shame the name of my Jesus. I am His, He is mine and I am marked as His.

I have no idea why this is speaking so to my heart today. But I DO know His promises to those who belong to Him are Yes and Amen. I can trust my Kinsman Redeemer to be working on my behalf in ways I can not see nor do not feel.  I can rest upon His promises......I can take Him at His word and trust "thus sayeth the Lord" as the song Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus says (lyrics by Louisa M. R Stead). I love how the Lord takes His word and shows you something in it, He wants to whisper to your heart. He says, I see you, I hear you, I know what you are going through. Don't doubt, don't worry because you belong to me and I love you.

Oh how I love my Jesus.  He is so good.

picture credits:www.freedomtrainministries.com