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And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God\u2019s possession\u2014to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Yes, we are back to Ephesians 1. I might have said too much about the Spirit as the seal of our redemption, while neglecting the image of guarantee. So, a few more words about that. I came across these sentences in a commentary.

The Holy Spirit functions in the present, giving us power and guidance to \u201cwork out our salvation.\u201d The Holy Spirit also guarantees our future salvation. But it is more than a guarantee, it is a present foretaste of the fuller inheritance of our redemption.

It is not my habit to quote commentaries for these devotions since they tend to be dense reading. But these sentences stood out to me as a beautiful rendition of what Paul intends with the word \u2018guarantee\u2019.

Do you ever wonder why we do not spend more time anticipating heaven? One reason may be that we have a very boring perception of what it will be like there \u2013 fluffy clouds, harps, Gregorian chants, and all that. But now I wonder if our text hints at another reason we may neglect anticipating the new heavens and earth. Let me explain.

What does it mean to be saved? It certainly means that our sins are forgiven. But it means much more than that. As I have been saying in my preaching series on Romans 12, \u2018the purpose of conversion to Christianity is to be able to discern and execute the will of God in the here and now.\u2019

Conversion means that we change our priorities and our allegiance. It means our desires change. Our goals in life become two-fold: to love God and our neighbour. The Holy Spirit \u2018gives us power and guidance\u2019 to work this love into our lives or \u2018to work out our salvation with fear and trembling\u2019 (Philippians 2:12). As we learn to love God and neighbour, we catch glimpses of the shalom God intended for this world, which will govern the new creation (cf. Isaiah 9:1-7).

The Holy Spirit works out our salvation in us. As he does that, we catch glimpses of what is coming. When hungry stomachs are satisfied, we catch a glimpse of an economy that leaves none in poverty. When broken bodies our healed, we catch a glimpse of the \u2018Tree of Life\u2019 giving health to all. When families destroyed by anger and fear and addictions are brought back together in harmony, we see \u2018the wolf and the lamb feeding together\u2019 (Isaiah 65:25).

As the Spirit works out our salvation, we are given glimpses of \u2018our inheritance.\u2019 The scripture uses this word deliberately. There are great things in store for God\u2019s children. As much as we may get enamored with streets of gold and gates of pearls, the real intent of the visions of heaven is that we catch a glimpse of the shalom on the other side of Jesus\u2019 return. That is our inheritance: a world without sinful people, a world without sinful systems, a world without accidents or racism or poverty or abuse.

As the Spirit moves in our lives, working in us our salvation, we have a foretaste of what is to come. When we have a robust understanding of salvation, we will long for it. Next time, another suggestion as to why we might not long for heaven.