Ephesians 1:14 used the Greek word arrabon for “down payment.” Scholar William Barclay wrote, “There are many Greek commercial documents still extant in which the word occurs. A woman sells a cow and receives so many drachmae as arrab?n. Some dancing girls are engaged for a public entertainment and are paid so much in advance. Paul is saying the experience of the Holy Spirit which we have in this world is a foretaste of heaven; and it is the guarantee that some day we will enter into full possession of the blessedness of God.”

• Slowly savor each promise and image in Revelation 21:1-5. How can you believe that amazing, beautiful world made new will really happen? Ephesians said the best times of worship, praise, service or caring that the Holy Spirit brings us are God’s “down payment,” assuring us that full renewal is on the way. What are some ways you are experiencing the down payment of life in the Spirit? How is “the word of truth in Christ … the good news of your salvation” making you freer and less a slave today than when you first accepted Jesus? How can deepening your positive connections with other Christians make our community an appealing preview of the eternal world of love, joy and grace that awaits us?