Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” ACTS 2:38-39 NIV 

She hesitated as she looked over the contract. It all looked good to her, maybe even too good to be true. “So I just sign this and the property is all mine?” She turned her head toward the attorney seated next to her at the closing table, wanting his confirmation one more time. 

“Yes, but that’s not all,” he reminded her. “In the transaction, you also agree to receive a helper for life, a person who will teach you how to manage your estate and help you run it.” 

This was the proposition she had not properly considered. Who was this person? Would they get along? How would this arrangement actually work? 

“Don’t worry,” he responded to her furrowed eyebrows. “He’s the most valuable part of the inheritance.” 

In a similar way, God the Father has given each of His children an incredible inheritance through faith in His Son, Jesus. When we sign our lives over to God, we are saying, “Yes!” to total forgiveness, adoption into His family, and the promise of eternity in heaven. But that’s not all! God’s great gift of salvation comes with another binding agent—the Holy Spirit! He’s God’s down payment of Himself, deposited directly into our hearts as proof that we have been bought by the blood of Christ and as a Helper who guides us in God’s ways. We are literally surrounded by God’s love that goes before us, behind us, beside us, and finally also inside us. To belong to Jesus means to be filled with His Spirit and the sweetness of the fruit He brings. 

Father, thank You for the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus, and thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit as a deposit that guarantees all that is to come. Help me get to know Your Spirit better so that I can stay in step with His leading. In Jesus’s name. 

This is an excerpt from True Sweetness: Growing in the Fruits of the Spirit – a devotional now available for pre-order on DaySpring.com. Shop all books, journals, and devotions from DaySpring here.