And don’t grieve the Holy Spirit. You were sealed by Him for the day of redemption. All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. Ephesians 4:3-32 HCSB
Yesterday my stepson and daughter-in-law closed the deal on their first home. What an exciting time for them. When all the paperwork is completed and the requirements are met, all parties involved meet and sign their respective agreements. This is commonly called a closing. It’s when the deal is closed and everything is filed away or sealed at the parish or county clerk’s office.
In the case of buying a home, there is an agreement between the mortgage lender and the seller. The mortgage lender pays the seller the price upon which they agreed. The buyer and the mortgage lender reach an agreement about the terms of the loan. The buyer signs agreeing to pay the mortgage lender in monthly payments for a specified period of time until the loan is paid in full. Once these payments are made in full, the buyer owns the property free and clear. If a realtor provided services during the sell of the property, there is also an agreement for them to receive a percentage of the sale as commission. If the parties involved are thorough and competent, this can be a fairly quick and painless process. But, if any party makes mistakes along the way, the process can drag out and be very frustrating as was the case for my stepson and daughter-in-law. For this reason, we were excited to know that they finally closed the deal. Thank God for another answered prayer.
Our lives are a lot like this process. We are born into this world with a sinful nature (Psalm 51:5). We can’t afford to pay in full the price for our sins. But, God sent His son to die on the cross so that our sins may be forgiven (John 3:16). He paid our debt in full and we are redeemed. This payment is there, it is offered to each and every one of us, but we must close the deal. We must enter into an agreement with our Lord and Savior. We must accept Him as our Savior, we must believe in Him, we must confess our sins and repent. Before we do all this it’s like the devil owns our soul. He is the seller. Now, the interesting thing here is that he doesn’t want to sell. He doesn’t want to let us go. But God pays the price for us in full. God reigns over all things, He is victorious over the devil. God always has the final say. So, if we accept Christ as our Savior and accept the payment that God readily provides, we become a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). We don’t have to sell our soul to the devil, he has it already. We have to agree to give it over to God. God has already paid the price, but He doesn’t take possession of it until we agree to give it over to Him. Once we do this, He sends His Holy Spirit to live inside of us to help us to no longer sin. This doesn’t mean that we are perfect and can live a sin free life, but it means that we no longer want to sin. We don’t want to grieve the Holy Spirit by sinning against Him. It means that we have closed the deal. As our scripture passage says, once we close the deal all bitterness, anger, wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from us along with malice. We should be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another as Christ has forgiven us.
My friend if you are truly saved, you no longer want to do anything that would grieve the Holy Spirit. You want to live your life in a way that is pleasing to Him. You want to surrender your life to Him. After all, He has paid a hefty price for you, don’t you think He deserves your best? It’s up to you to close the deal. God has paid for you in full, but still He gives you freedom of choice. He won’t take possession unless you freely choose to surrender ownership.
If you are unwilling to give up ownership, then please understand that it’s not really you who is the owner, but the devil. We can’t resist the devil on our own. We need the Holy Spirit’s help for that. Won’t you allow Him to take possession of your soul and seal you for the day of redemption? It’s a decision you will never regret. Don’t take my word for it, try it for yourself.
Have a great day!