Reprint Compliments of Men At The Cross By Joe White

VIDEO OF THE DAY

2 Corinthians 1:19-22

19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." 20For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

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The air rushed out of the front right tire of our travel van as quickly as the "swoosh" a little child hears as expectantly releases an untied balloon to watch it spurt feverishly through the air about him.

It was 12:30 in the early morning and definitely no time for a flat tire . . . especially to a group of weary travelers with no spare and a nine-hour all night drive from Denver to Kansas City facing them. To my amazement we found an open tire store with one tire on the shelf exactly the right size. As I reached in my pocket to get my billfold, I realized I had left that and all my travel money at the McDonalds across town. With frantic haste, I pleaded with the mechanic to trust me and put the tire on our van while I hitched a ride to retrieve my billfold.

"How do I know you'll return to pay me?" he asked with a shout.

"I'll leave Brad Friess with you. He's my close friend," I said clumsily.

That was enough to seal the deal. Brad was my friend and no fool would leave a friend behind for the price of one measly tire! Besides, Brad is one of the greatest guys you could ever meet . . . a handsome, intelligent, talented 6'5" basketball standout for the University of Arkansas Cagers team.

Brad was a pledge ... a very good one at that! With billfold in hand, I returned for the tire and my friend ... for a starlit trip to Kansas City where my friends laughed at me all night long for leaving an unsuspecting character like Brad Friess as a pledge for ... of all things ... a steel belted radial white wall tire worth no more than $99.

QUESTIONS:
1. When a person receives Christ as personal Savior, the Holy Spirit enters his heart to stay. How is this gift from God a firm, secure "pledge" that Jesus will return to take that person home?
2. In light of this all-important word from God, what does the phrase "the security of the believer" mean to you?
3. What do the terms "down payment", "pledge", "earnest money contract" have in common and how do they describe God's mission with the Holy Spirit?

LIFELINE:
"I will never leave you or forsake you" may be the most pleasant words in scripture.