Many of you probably remember those days of letter writing and mailing correspondence and greeting cards to our friends and family. You know, before there were emails, texting and Facebook? When I was a teenager, I was so proud to have my very own set of wax sealers and various stamps (one even with my initials) with which to seal my envelopes before sending them. To me, it looked impressive and grown-up, and that the person receiving would see it sealed with my love and care. Plus, it looked cool!
After reading scripture that prompted that memory, I did some research on when and why sealing our correspondence became popular. This is what I found: “Ancient Mesopotamia and Indus Valley (c. 3000 BC or earlier): Merchants and administrators rolled carved stone cylinder seals over wet clay tablets to verify origin and prevent tampering.” The art of sealing letters with wax and official decrees began in “Medieval Europe (9th to 13th Century) and spread widely among monarchs, the papacy, nobility, and monastic orders to guarantee authenticity and show social rank.”
The scripture that brought all of this to light for me was, “In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.”
Just like the letters and greeting cards that were lovingly sealed to send off to loved ones, I was humbled to realize, because I am a believer in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit has put a much different seal on me – a seal of bonding of love. Doesn’t that give you goosebumps to think that your relationship with Jesus as a confirmed believer is sealed by the very hand of God? The hand of our Father, Son and Holy Spirit reaches out directly to you. And, we used to think it was good news to see that a product received the Good Housekeeping seal of approval!
So, when you think that you are undeserving, that you are not worthy, that you are unloved because of something you’ve done, that seal remains intact when you acknowledge Jesus as your Savior and truly ask for His forgiveness. I don’t know about you, but knowing that seal rests on me, that His very hand rests on me, allows me to confidently walk the road that He has prepared for me – for you and me. The next time I find myself doubting or being pulled away from God’s generosity, I will recall the above scripture that we are sealed “with the promised Holy Spirit.” Amen
Thank you, Holy Spirit for sealing our love by your very hand. I am humbled that it is not I that has chosen you, but that you have chosen me to be your discipline. I pray that I am worthy of this promise and will continue to honor you by how I live my life. Amen
