… you were marked in him with a seal,
Summary: Being marked with a seal isn’t quite as rare as one might think. It used to happen to me all the time. Yet nothing quite compares to the mark left by God’s Holy Spirit.
By the time my mom was born in 1929, modern lipstick had been invented and was in common use. Mom loved her lipstick! She would shudder at the idea of being caught out in public without it. She loved the color red, and while she toyed with various shades, she almost always had some on.
When I would visit her, or after she had been to our house, her parting gift was a kiss on the cheek. Of course, because of the lipstick, she would step back, look at me and laugh. Then she would take out her handkerchief, wipe the lipstick off my cheek, and smile and laugh some more. It was her trademark. She sealed our visits with a kiss.
The marking that Paul is talking about is a bit more permanent. Like a kiss on the cheek, God seals us with his Holy Spirit. Also, like my mom’s kiss on the cheek, the seal of God leaves a mark.
Certain messages in biblical times were sealed with wax and then marked with the imprint of a ring. The ring was designed and carved so that it left an impression in the wax that clearly identified the seal. Certain seals carried great authority. In the book of Esther, King Xerxes himself explains that “no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.” (Esther 8:8)
When God marks us with his seal, the seal does two things. First, it reminds us of who we are. A message from a king marked with a seal is an important message. A person marked with a seal is set apart as someone who belongs to the owner of the seal. To be marked with God’s seal is to belong to God. Not only does the seal remind us we belong to God, it tells others we belong to God as well.
Try as she might, after mom kissed me on the cheek, she could never wipe all the lipstick off completely. She marked me with her “seal,” and everyone who saw me knew I was her son. When God puts his seal on us, nothing can wipe it off. We are marked forever with the Spirit of the King. Everyone who sees it knows we are the sons and daughters of the great I AM.
Application: Think about the mark God’s Word and Spirit have left on you.
Food for Thought: How does knowing that we belong to the Creator of All Things affect our self-image?
Great illustration brother. I like the image of being marked with a kiss.
As to the question, knowing that we belong to God should have a tremendous affect on our self image. To be a child of the King is to be a prince who stands to inherit everything. The worth He places on us is significant, real and secured with His indwelling presence. It also came at a high cost. Therefore we have been purchased at a high price and should live accordingly. 1 Corinthians 6: 19 – 20; 1 Corinthians 15: 56 – 58.
Thank you, Rich!
It is rather interesting to realize that being a child of God changes everything. Suddenly, we are no longer just a lost puppy or a stray dog. We are important because we are cared about and valued by the King of Kings!
Thank you for the verses today! Great choices. 🙂
How does knowing that we belong to the Creator of All Things affect our self-image?
A great improvement for me certainly. Being adopted into this family with so much love often makes my eyeballs sweat. I feel like I can’t live up to the name Christian but its something I try to show off or boast that I know Jesus. Its something I’m proud to say and it’s a big confidence booster.
Well said T. Love you brother
Nicely put, Tim!
Knowing the Lord is absolutely something to boast about. 🙂
02-25-2-2023, How does knowing that we belong to the Creator of All Things affect our self-image?
We know we have been marked in Christ with a seal and the promised Holy Spirit. We continue to outwardly waste away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. We begin to focus our eyes not on what is seen, the temporary, but on what is unseen, the eternal, as well as serving others over ourselves as we seek to share the supernatural love God has given us with others, in obedience to God.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18, John 14:21; 1 John 5:2, John 13:34-35
As obedience to God and serving others become the priority for our lives, we have very little to no time to be concerned about our self image. It just does not matter.
Ron,
You make a GREAT point! The basis of my question was grounded in forming a healthier self-image because we are loved by God. You have taken that one step further. A healthy self-image is to be focused on God and others instead of self. Thank you!
Interestingly, I originally responded as you originally intended, when finished I started cutting and pasting and ended up with what I posted. It’s a God thing!!