The Foretaste of Glory

“…we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory…”
Romans 8:23 (NLT)

The thought of God dwelling in me is overwhelming.  Why He would ever love me in the first place is beyond my comprehension.  But this is what the Bible says about Him.  He loves us so much that He has provided a way for us to be cleansed from our sin and to make our hearts His home.  After all, how else could a holy God live inside us?  We must be clean for that to happen.  That’s why after the cross, came the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.

Think for a moment about the work of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus called Him the Helper that would come alongside of us to console us, lead us, reassures us of salvation, intercede for us and brings to remembrance all that Jesus taught.  The Holy Spirit is the One who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and the judgement.  He dwells in us, as believers, and He is the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead!  How amazing it is that we have the Holy Spirit in us!

Here in Romans 8, it says that He is the “foretaste of future glory”.  In the Holy Spirit, God gives us a glimpse of heaven.  Take the fruit of the Spirit for instance.  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.  All of which are amazing qualities.  Will we find anything less in heaven?  Not at all, but we get to enjoy a small taste of heaven as we see the fruit of the Spirit pour out of our lives as we abide in Christ.  We get to hear the Holy Spirit whisper conviction, love, rebuke, and grace to hearts, but one day we will see Jesus face to face and hear His audible voice with our own ears.  We now only see dimly, but then in heaven, we will see clearly.  Ephesians 1:14 says that the Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised.

I hope you are joyful and thankful today as you are reminded of the Holy Spirit within us – the wonderful foretaste of glory.
 
Anchored in Christ,
Aaron R. Force