Father, we’re grateful for an overall good day! A little rain early on and then an opportunity to get some things done – even time for a good walk and some browsing in some of the shops in downtown Mt. Vernon. Thank You, Father!

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In my wallet, I keep a couple of my credit cards in “card gloves”. They date back to when I served the First Church of the Nazarene in Marietta, Ohio as Minister of Youth and Music in the late 1980s. The “card gloves” are from People’s Bank which is headquartered in Marietta. Being the 10th largest bank in Ohio, they also have locations in Mt. Vernon.

This statement is on the back side.

This CARD GLOVE is provided for the protection of your magnetic striped card. It will greatly extend the life of your card and assures its usability when you need it. Please keep your card in this envelope when not in use

I’ve had them for almost as long as Karen and I have been married – 34 years! And though my wallets have fallen apart and needed to be replaced, these two gloves, though obviously worn, continue to cradle my cards protecting their magnetic stripes! My Discover Card and a MasterCard are kept in tip-top shape until I need them.

Before Jesus even returned to the Father, He promised to send the Holy Spirit to help us. He was sent to help us as a counselor, a comforter, as well as an intercessor. Essentially, as the third part of the Godhead, He did all that Jesus did for His followers but as a spirit, He was not limited to one place at one time. He can be everywhere with everyone simultaneously!

When the Apostle Paul wrote Ephesians 1:14, he was speaking of the idea that the Holy Spirit is our guarantee – some translations use the word deposit – of all that God has promised us.

The Spirit is God’s guarantee [the Amplified Bible adds – the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him. NLT

To some degree, the Holy Spirit is to us as the card glove is to my credit cards.

The HOLY SPIRIT is provided for the protection of our very souls! He will greatly extend the durability of our lives and assures productivity and resilience when we stand against the evil of this world. Please keep your life in the Personification of God’s grace and mercy protecting our very souls and with it, we will secure eternal life, as well!

Obviously, the Holy Spirit helps us far more than any envelope could! But you get the idea. Along with that, He helps us discover all the many blessings that are found in our relationship with Jesus. But we must realize that a big part of that understanding that He alone should be the Master of our lives!

We must make sure that we are interacting with the Holy Spirit each and every day! He is there to help us accomplish what we could not otherwise accomplish – to be God’s children in the world! Amen!

July 1st, 2021, Thurs, 7:51 pm