First Taste Of Forever
The first slice is a promise of the feast.
Devotional Credit
His Victorious Indwelling, compiled by Nick Harrison. Reading for September 18. Scripture, Ephesians 1:13b to 14 KJV. Reflection by W. Graham Scroggie.
Photo Credit
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The page for today lifts our eyes to the Gift already given. The Holy Spirit is called the earnest of our inheritance, the first portion that points to the full share ahead. Dr. W. Graham Scroggie writes with a gentle clarity, reminding us that our richest experiences of the Spirit in this life are still only a beginning. They are not the banquet, they are the first taste. Jonathan Edwards said it so simply, grace is glory begun, and glory is grace brought to completion.
This sets our hearts at rest. God has not asked us to produce heaven out of earth. He has sealed us in Jesus and placed His Spirit within as a pledge of everything He intends to finish. We do not work our way to an inheritance. In the Son, we are heirs now, and the Spirit is the present witness that the future is certain.
Seen through the life of abiding in Christ, the Holy Spirit is not a passing influence, but the personal presence of God within. He is the living connection to the grace that saved us, and He is the same grace that carries us. Every good day is a gift. Every hard day is held within a larger hope. The best is not behind us. The best is yet to come because Jesus is our portion, and His fullness will not fade.
Thank you, Dr. Scroggie, for steering us away from boasting in our efforts and back to gratitude. And thank you, Nick Harrison, for gathering voices that point us to Jesus. If everything we treasure comes from the Lord, then we can walk with open hands, enjoy the foretaste, and smile toward the feast that is certain.
Journal Entry, Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I have sealed you for the day of redemption. I am given to you as the earnest of your inheritance, the first portion that guarantees the rest. I testify with your spirit that you belong to the Father. In Jesus you are an heir, and I keep that hope alive in you.
I lead you into truth. I bring to remembrance all that the Lord has spoken. I pour the love of God into your heart. I am the Spirit of adoption who cries, Abba, Father, within you. When weakness meets the day, My grace proves enough, and My power is seen in your lack.
I began this good work in you. I transform you from one stage of glory to another as you behold the Lord. I am the Holy Spirit who dwells in you, who guards the good deposit, who sets your mind on life and peace. I am the pledge that what is kept for you is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.
Stand in grace. Walk as you received the Lord, by faith. Let your boast be in the Lord. I will present you with joy. Christ in you is your hope of glory, and today I delight to express the life of Jesus through you.
Real-Life Analogy
Picture a fresh loaf coming out of the oven. You slice the corner and taste the warm crumb. That first bite is not the whole meal, but it tells you exactly what is coming. In the same way, the indwelling Spirit of Jesus is the first taste of the banquet. He is the present guarantee that the full feast is on the way, and even now He is the supply that warms the room of your heart.
Try this in a real moment today. If discouraging news lands or a tough conversation awaits, pause and turn inward to the One who lives in you. Say, Lord, You are my present pledge of what is to come, be Yourself in me as I speak, let Your patience and steadiness flow through me. Then step forward with a quiet confidence that the Spirit will express the life of Jesus through you.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You for sealing me with the Holy Spirit of promise. Thank You that in Jesus I already share in an inheritance that cannot fade. Thank You that Your Spirit within is the present pledge and the daily supply. Today I rest in Your grace. I rely on Your indwelling presence for every word and every step. Lord, I trust You to live Your life in me and through me as I meet each task and each person You place before me.
Beautiful List of Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Ephesians 1:13 to 14; 2 Corinthians 1:22; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Romans 8:16 to 17; Romans 8:23; 1 Peter 1:3 to 5; Colossians 1:12; John 14:16 to 18; John 16:13 to 15; Galatians 4:6; Galatians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 1:6; Jude 24 to 25; Romans 5:2; Hebrews 10:14; Colossians 3:3 to 4; Revelation 21:3 to 5; 1 John 3:2 to 3; Titus 3:5 to 7; Ephesians 4:30; Acts 2:33; 1 Corinthians 2:12; 2 Timothy 1:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13 to 14; Hebrews 6:19 to 20; 2 Peter 1:3 to 4; Romans 11:36.