Unto the Hills

When I was 18 my mom gave me a daily devotional for Christmas. For the last decade that is what my husband and I have used, reading it over and over all these years. I love the devotional, but a few months ago I found my self searching for something new and fresh for us. Unto the Hills: A daily Devotional by Billy Graham is just what I have been looking for. Each day is filled with Bible passages and encouraging words to help guide believers in their day to day lives. This is a great book, I would love to get it for all the Christians in my life.

A peek inside:

December 19

THE PLEDGE

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.
He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts
as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NIVAs we trust in Christ, God gives us the Spirit not only as a seal. He is also our pledge, or, as some translations read, "ernest" or "guarantee," according to such passages as 2 Corinthians 1:21 and Ephesians 1:14.
"Now He who established us with you in Christ anointed us in God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge" 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NKJV.
In the apostle Paul's day, businessmen considered a pledge to do three things: it was a down payment that sealed a bargain, it represented an obligation to buy, and it was a sample of what was to come.
Suppose you were to decide to buy a car. The pledge would first be a down payment sealing the transaction. It would also represent your promise to pay the rest of the purchase price. This is what the Holy Spirit promises when we receive the "earnest of our inheritance" Eph. 1:14
As the great missionary statesmen Adoniram Judson once said, "The prospect is as bright as the promises of God."
Please note I was given this book for free from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.