No Deposit, No Return
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 1:21–22 NIV
When we purchase something of great value—a house, for example—we are usually required to put down a deposit to indicate our sincerity and to promise that our intentions are serious and that we intend to go through with the deal. It is a form of insurance, a guarantee that adds substance to our word.
In recent years we have seen the production of large quantities of “no deposit, no return” cans and bottles. The stores selling these items do not expect to get them back, and so we are not required to pay a deposit on them when we make our purchase. We simply discard them (or better yet recycle them) when the contents have been consumed.
God has made some incredible promises to us. He has promised that we might have a relationship with Him through His Son. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us and to be with us always. The Bible is full of promises from God to man.
Someone might ask, “What insurance do we have that God is serious? Let us see what kind of deposit He is prepared to put down.” God’s deposit is the most precious investment anyone could make: His wonderful Son. Not only is Jesus Christ a sufficient “down payment” on God’s promises, He is, in fact, payment in full! There are no more payments to be made. “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow.”
Because of God’s deposit on our lives, He is obligated to meet His promises. And so He has. And so He will.
“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
Our Father and our God, I have seen how You always keep Your promises to Your people. And I fully trust that You will always do so. I am in Your eternal care, O Lord, and I know You will never leave or forsake me. Please give me the courage and strength to never forsake You. In the Redeemer’s name. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).