Tag: redeemed

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Redeemed – Blotted Out

I’m so glad I found these little “Thesaurus” pigeons. They are great images for bringing home a point.

Redeemed! One of our words from yesterday. Let’s see if from God’s perspective.

Have you ever had a glass of milk or juice spill all over something you were working on, or maybe it was a cup of coffee or a can of soda? I’m sure you didn’t sit calmly watching it spill but instead probably jumped up quickly and got towels to blot up the liquid and save your project.

I remember dropping a class project in muddy water once and trying to dab it dry so that I could recover the information and hand it in on time without completely redoing it. Such a sinking feeling.

Worse yet, what about a hard drive crash?! Is your stomach in knots just thinking about that happening. Try as you might you can’t recover it – the lost reports or if it was your personal computer the lost pictures, contact lists, etc…that’s such a hopeless feeling.

Would it surprise you if I told you that God purposefully lost information?

“You were dead, because you were sinful and were not God’s people. But God let Christ make you alive, when he forgave all our sins.

14 God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the cross. 15 There Christ defeated all powers and forces. He let the whole world see them being led away as prisoners when he celebrated his victory.” Colossians 2:13-15 CEV

In another translation it says that the handwriting against us was blotted out – this translation says God wiped out the charges against us.

Regardless of our terminology – wiped out, blotted out – there was lost evidence, the evidence of our sin, our past, our failures because they were nailed to the cross and covered by the blood of Jesus!

So, when Satan comes into God, the Father’s courtroom and asks that we be punished, judged for our sins and tries to bring charges against us, the Father can find no evidence, it’s gone!

Christ defeated those who would like to destroy us, crashed their hard drive and led them away as prisoners bringing His victory to us!

Praise God – somethings just can’t be recovered. We’ve been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!

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Rejected to Redeemed

By now you all know that I love words. What writer doesn’t? But I am intrigued by the way simple words tell a story.

You can image how excited I was this morning when my heart began coupling words with the prefix “re”. I’ll have you look at a few of those words with me.

Rejected.

“He was hated and rejected; his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering. No one wanted to look at him. We despised him and said, ‘He is a nobody.’ 4 He suffered and endured great pain for us, but we thought his suffering was punishment from God. 5 He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well.” Isaiah 53:3-5 CEV

Redeemed.

“ Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), ” Galatians 3:13 NKJV

He was rejected so we could be redeemed!

Repent. Receive.

“ Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away —all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Acts 2:38-39 NLT

When we repent we receive forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit who gives instruction and comfort.

Rescue. Reward.

“The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. 16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.” Psalm 9:14-16 NLT

The Lord promises to be our rescuer, our protector, and the One who rewards us with long life and salvation.

Now for one more “re”. Rejoice.

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” Philippians 4:4 NLT

Rejoice in that fact that He was rejected so we could be redeemed. Rejoice that when we repented of our sins, we received the Holy Spirit. Rejoice that the Lord rescues us and rewards us with life.

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What Happened in Hell?

After the crucifixion the world thought that Jesus was dead and no longer a threat but they were so wrong.

Jesus went to hell and defeated satan and his demons. When He rose from the tomb He emerged as the Champion of Champions.

“God lives fully in Christ. 10 And you are fully grown because you belong to Christ, who is over every power and authority. 11 Christ has also taken away your selfish desires, just as circumcision removes flesh from the body. 12 And when you were baptized, it was the same as being buried with Christ. Then you were raised to life because you had faith in the power of God, who raised Christ from death. 13 You were dead, because you were sinful and were not God’s people. But God let Christ make you alive, when he forgave all our sins.

14 God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the cross. 15 There Christ defeated all powers and forces. He let the whole world see them being led away as prisoners when he celebrated his victory.” Colossians 2:9-15

Here’s a brief recap of the above.

All the fullness of God lives in Christ and since we are in Christ all God’s fullness lives in us. All of His power, faith, love and righteousness are ours – we need to renew our minds to what God has done for us!

By Christ’s death and resurrection, we have been raised to new life and our old sinful nature has been circumcised – it has been cut away. All of our sins have been forgiven and we have been made alive in God – a new creature, a whole new species of being.

God the Father wiped out all the charges of sin that were against us when He nailed them to the cross and they were blotted out by Jesus’ blood! I like to think of it as this – He crashed the hard drive, and all the evidence of our sin was lost forever!!!

Jesus defeated all the forces of hell, and He led them through the streets of the spirit realm, striped of power. The picture painted here is of a Roman ruler parading a defeated monarch through the streets of his capital city, naked. He did this to prove to the monarch’s subjects that their king had been defeated completely, humiliated and unable to control what was forced upon him. This is what Jesus did to Satan when he was placed in the tomb. He marched into hell; gather up Satan and paraded him through all the streets of hell – naked – striped of the keys of death, hell and the grave – striped of all his power – to prove that Jesus is Lord!

Oh my goodness, if you’re not shouting by now – you’re in need of resuscitation!

Sing it with me – He is Lord, He is Lord, He is risen from the dead and He is Lord! Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

He did this for you and me. He didn’t have to come to earth to have power over Satan, He had it from the beginning. But He came to die and in death defeat Satan for us – we were the ones under his rule. What He did in hell, He did as our substitute, and he defeated the devil and sin on our behalf so that we could have the fullness of the Father operating in our lives!

Glory Hallelujah!!!

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Not A Chunk of Coal

Have you heard the expression “Diamonds are just a chunk of coal under extreme pressure”? Well, the adage has been around for years, but it isn’t true.

Another adage that I take exception to is one used often in Christian circles. “I’m not but an old sinner saved by grace”. Were we sinners? Yes. Were we saved by grace? Yes.

But to continue in that thinking goes against all that God has created us to be. He has called us to be new creatures in Christ. The past is gone; our present and our future are in Him and He has redeemed us, made us new; we are called saints, a chosen people, a royal priesthood.

God’s opinion of us is so much greater than our opinion of ourselves. He saw that we were valuable, priceless and worth the ultimate sacrifice.

He loved us enough to send His Son to die for us so that we could live in Him!

Now that alone should drive out any feelings of low self-esteem or worthlessness!

” Brothers and sisters, God chose you to be his. Think about that! Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. Not many of you had great influence, and not many of you came from important families. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 And God chose what the world thinks is not important—what the world hates and thinks is nothing. He chose these to destroy what the world thinks is important. 29 God did this so that no one can stand before him and boast about anything. 30 It is God who has made you part of Christ Jesus. And Christ has become for us wisdom from God. He is the reason we are right with God and pure enough to be in his presence. Christ is the one who set us free from sin. 31 So, as the Scriptures say, “Whoever boasts should boast only about the Lord.” I Corinthians 1:26-31 ERV

That’s the way He feels about all of us who have received Christ as our Savior.

“Then the Lord All-Powerful said: You people are precious to me, and when I come to bring justice, I will protect you, just as parents protect an obedient child.” Malachi 3:17 CEV

He sees us as a loving father sees his children. We are not unworthy. We are dearly loved and accepted. We are welcome in His presence.

He has called us, redeemed us and made us His own. We’ve been chosen!

“We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose, 29 and he has always known who his chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like his own Son, so his Son would be the first of many children. 30 God then accepted the people he had already decided to choose, and he has shared his glory with them.

31 What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32 God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else? 33 If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them?” Romans 8:28-33 CEV

Not an old chunk of coal, not an old sinner; we are the redeemed of the Lord!

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How Much?

Yesterday I was scrolling through the notes on my phone when I came across this reminder, My Redeemer Lives.

I spent the next several minutes allowing that statement to sink in, again! In fact, I’m doing it again now. Don’t rush forward in reading this, just meditate on that truth for a few more minutes.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 NLT

Redeem: “Redeem means to buy back, regain possession of, or exchange something for money or goods. It also means to free or rescue someone or something from distress, harm, captivity, or obligation by paying a price, sacrifice, or performance. Additionally, it means to make something better or more acceptable by improving or correcting it.”

To buy back. At what cost, how much?

“The Law does not use faith. It says, ‘You must obey all the Law or you will die.’13 Christ bought us with His blood and made us free from the Law. In that way, the Law could not punish us. Christ did this by carrying the load and by being punished instead of us. It is written, ‘Anyone who hangs on a cross is hated and punished.’ 14 Because of the price Christ Jesus paid, the good things that came to Abraham might come to the people who are not Jews. And by putting our trust in Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit He has promised.” Galatians 3:12-14 NLV

How much??

Jesus secured our redemption with His life!

Never, ever underestimate the value that the heavenly Father has placed on us. He paid the highest price possible for our redemption, the life of His Son.

“You know you were not bought and made free from sin by paying gold or silver which comes to an end. And you know you were not saved from the punishment of sin by the way of life that you were given from your early fathers. That way of life was worth nothing. 19 The blood of Christ saved you. This blood is of great worth and no amount of money can buy it. Christ was given as a lamb without sin and without spot.” I Peter 1:18-19 NLV

Let’s go back to my opening thought and change just one word. OUR Redeemer lives.

Christ gave His life as a ransom for many. We are that many. He paid the price of our redemption and now He lives to see that the blessings His Father promised come to pass in our lives.

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” Romans 8:31-32 NLT

How much? Jesus paid it all. There is no further payment for our redemption. It is a gift from God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

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The Price is Paid

On a number of occasions, I have told you that the best way to read/study the Bible isn’t by reading many chapters or for multiple hours but it’s to read for application. If we read only a couple of verses and they speak to our heart and we think on them throughout the whole day, it’s better than marking chapters off a list and having the words make no impact.

Yesterday I was taken back as I read one verse, one obscure verse in Psalms.

“Remember the people you bought so long ago. You saved us, and we belong to you.” Psalm 74:2 CEV

It was this one verse that reminded me of my Father’s love. Remember You, heavenly Father, bought us – saved us and we belong to You!

The word bought is translated in other places as the word “redeemed”.

“You know that in the past the way you were living was useless. It was a way of life you learned from those who lived before you. But you were saved from that way of living. You were bought, but not with things that ruin like gold or silver. 19 You were bought with the precious blood of Christ’s death. He was a pure and perfect sacrificial Lamb.” I Peter 1:18-19 ERV

Years ago, our favorite pastime was attending farm and ranch auctions. We were addicted to finding treasures that others overlooked. We went so often that we became friends with some of the different auctioneers and from time to time they would ask us to help out. Dave would spot bids in the crowd and I would clerk.

We were working at one auction where someone had consigned some artwork. I was busy recording the bids so, I hadn’t really looked up to see what the pictures looked like until there was a lull in the bidding. It was then I saw this angelic face.

I was captured by the innocence I saw in his eyes, the chubby cheeks and the cherub like smile. I knew I needed to buy it and give it a place of honor in our home.

When I read that verse yesterday morning – You bought us, You saved us, You made us your own”. I remember that day at the auction – I bought, saved and made my own that sweet little angel.

How much greater, how much deeper is the Father’s love for us? We have been redeemed, we have been purchased by the blood of Jesus and by that blood our debt has been marked “Paid in Full”.

This painting, which now hangs in our daughter’s home, has been a daily reminder for me. Just seeing it stirs my heart, it’s such a sweet face that needed rescuing but more than that it reminds me that I was in need of rescuing and Christ stepped up and paid the price.

“ He paid for our sins with His own blood. He did not pay for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world.” I John 2:2 NLV

I will be grateful for all eternity that God bought me, saved me and made me His own. I’ve been redeemed, you have too. The price for our salvation has been marked “Paid in Full”.

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Redemption

Sometimes we, Christians, use words the rest of the world doesn’t really understand. I think redemption is one of those. Redemption, in its simplest terms, means to buy back; to purchase something that had originally been yours and had been lost.

That’s exactly what happened to the human race.  God had created man in His image and His desire was to have a loving relationship with us. Adam disobeyed God and that relationship was broken. Sin entered and the communion between God and mankind was interrupted. But the good news is God immediately put a plan into motion that would restore the relationship which had been lost – redemption.

“ Adam disobeyed God and caused many others to be sinners. But Jesus obeyed him and will make many people acceptable to God.” Romans 5:19 CEV

We discussed yesterday how precious and valuable we are to the Father. He would go to any length, and He did, to see that we were redeemed. His love for us is unconditional and His grace is unfathomable. He sees us with a pure and loving heart.

“No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. 8 But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger.” Romans 5:7-9 CEV

I was once again overwhelmed by the absolute love of God in my morning reading. The Apostle Paul had such a grasp on God’s love and grace that he included the message of the good news, the Gospel, in everyone of his letters. 

He was a man who knew the Scriptures. He was devout in his religious commitment, but he was misguided in his actions. He pursued the Christians, he had them arrested, imprisoned and persecuted. He even had a place at the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. God changed his heart, and his life was changed. He was redeemed and that became his message.

“[The Father] has delivered and  drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.” Colossians 1:13-14 AMP

The Father saw each and everyone of us down through time and He loved us. He put the plan of redemption in place. Christ willing gave His life to pay the price of our sins and that dear friend is the price that purchased our redemption.

“ Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written [in the Scriptures], Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified);” Galatians 3:13 AMP

We have been redeemed!

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One Man’s Trash

…is another man’s treasure

That phrase came up last night as we were watching television and it got me to thinking. Thinking about our little farmhouse home in Idaho. My kitchen was small and I wanted a way to decorate with some of my favorite things so Dave brought in two old barn doors and nailed them to the walls.

I got a couple of old single trees, mounted them to the doors and hung my cast iron skillets off the cast iron hooks on each end. But I didn’t stop there. I put at least a dozen more nails in each door and hung some of my favorite antique kitchen utensils from those nails – a shifter, colander, big mixing spoons, spatulas, enamelware cups and bowls. I loved it!

Two of my uncles were passing through town and stopped for dinner and an overnight rest. While we were sitting at the table, they looked around at my decor and one of them said to the other, “Kristi has stuff hanging on her walls that we used to hang in the barn”. That’s correct.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure!

All of my treasures had been purchased at ranch and farm auctions for pennies on the dollar. What someone thought was old and useless, I thought was quaint and worth putting on display.

I really think that’s how God sees us. The world says we aren’t worth much but He’s sees us as a treasure.

I want to go back, one more time, to yesterday’s Scripture:

“Do not be afraid. For I have bought you and made you free. I have called you by name. You are Mine!” Isaiah 43:1 NLV

One version of this verse says “I have redeemed you”. The Lord saw value in us when others saw nothing of the kind. He rescued us, redeemed us and brought blessing to our lives.

“Christ bought us with His blood and made us free from the Law. In that way, the Law could not punish us. Christ did this by carrying the load and by being punished instead of us. It is written, “Anyone who hangs on a cross is hated and punished.” 14 Because of the price Christ Jesus paid, the good things that came to Abraham might come to the people who are not Jews. And by putting our trust in Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit He has promised.” Galatians 3:13-14 NLV

One man’s treasure!

We are God’s treasure. We are His children. He loves us.

“And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I publicly recognize and openly declare them to be My jewels (My special possession, My peculiar treasure). And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him.” Malachi 3:17 AMPC

Don’t let anyone call you trash. God has called you His treasure!

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Lost & Found

This morning I would like to tell you a story of a little boy named Timmy.

Timmy had saved his allowance money to buy a model boat kit. It wasn’t just any toy boat, it was a sailboat. The day came and his father took him to the toy store, he found the box sitting on the shelf and took it to the register. There he gave his hard earned money to the clerk and he and his father walked out the door.

Timmy worked very hard for the next few weeks on his toy boat. Finally the day came…the last coat of paint was dry, the sail was in place and the boat was finished.

After school the next day Timmy could hardly wait for his dad to come home. They were going to take the boat on its maiden voyage. They walked to the park together, Timmy was talking non-stop with excitement. They got to the bank of the creek, set the little boat in the water and watched it sail on the current. It was thrilling!

One day, he placed his little boat in the creek and as it sailed down stream something terrible happened. The tether that Timmy had tied to the boat came loose. The boat sailed farther and farther down stream. Timmy had no way to retrieve it and now it was lost. Timmy was heartbroken. He loved that little boat, he had worked hard to make it and now it was gone. As he walked home his head was hanging low and tears filled his eyes. It was gone!

Timmy’s dad said they could get another kit and build another boat but that just wouldn’t be the same.

One day Timmy was with his Mom in town. As he walked down the street with her, he glanced up and there in the window of the hardware store was his boat. It had a For Sale sign on it. Timmy was thrilled. His mom took him in the store. The clerk retrieved the boat from the window. The price tag said $12.95. The clerk told them that someone had found the boat outside of town stuck in the creek bank. They didn’t want to boat and sold it to the store owner. That’s how it came to be in the window.

Timmy could have the boat back if he would just pay the store owner what the owner had paid for it. Timmy dug deep into his pockets and pulled out his allowance money. He had just enough. This little boat, Timmy’s boat, had now been owned twice.

It had been redeemed!

This story is one that I heard long, long ago in Sunday School but it can apply to our relationship with the Father. 

God created man to have a relationship with Him but because Adam sinned that relationship was broken. God wasn’t willing to lose man. He established a plan that would reconcile or redeem His relationship with mankind. The word redeem means to regain possession in exchange for payment. Reconcile means to make compatible or friendly again. Christ did both for us.

“You were rescued (redeemed)  from the useless way of life that you learned from your ancestors. But you know that you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don’t last forever. 19 You were rescued (redeemed) by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb.” I Peter 1:18-19 CEV

“But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. 10 Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us (reconciled), because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life. 11 And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us.” Romans 5:9-11 CEV

Just like Timmy’s little boat, we were originally made to have relationship with God in a perfect way but man became lost. It took the death of Jesus to pay the price and redeem us for our original owner.

God’s love reached out to us and brought us back. We have peace with God!

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Big Announcement – Great News

This is the best news you will ever receive. God loves you and He’s on your side!!

“So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. 32 He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things.” Romans 8:31-32 ERV

In my reading this morning the Israelites were crying out to the Lord because they were being treated so badly by the Egyptians. God spoke to Moses and told him to tell the people He had heard their cry and was sending him, Moses, to bring their deliverance.

Great News!

God is in the Good News business. When Jesus birth was announced by the angels they said this was “good tidings of great joy” – good news. Jesus even said that he came to bring good news to the people.

“… ‘We must go to the nearby towns, so that I can tell the good news to those people. This is why I have come.’” Mark 1:38 CEV

The good news that Jesus brought to every town was healing the sick, delivering those who were demon possessed and forgiving sin. Jesus came to establish a reconciliation between man and God. Very good news!

You can imagine how excited I got when I started reading these verses in Colossians. I know this is a lot of reading and I don’t normally give lengthy Scriptures for you to read but this is really GREAT NEWS!

“I ask God that you may know what He wants you to do. I ask God to fill you with the wisdom and understanding the Holy Spirit gives. 10 Then your lives will please the Lord. You will do every kind of good work, and you will know more about God. 11 I pray that God’s great power will make you strong, and that you will have joy as you wait and do not give up. 12 I pray that you will be giving thanks to the Father. He has made it so you could share the good things given to those who belong to Christ who are in the light. 13 God took us out of a life of darkness. He has put us in the holy nation of His much-loved Son. 14 We have been bought by His blood and made free. Our sins are forgiven through Him.

15 Christ is as God is. God cannot be seen. Christ lived before anything was made. 16 Christ made everything in the heavens and on the earth. He made everything that is seen and things that are not seen. He made all the powers of heaven. Everything was made by Him and for Him. 17 Christ was before all things. All things are held together by Him. 18 Christ is the head of the church which is His body. He is the beginning of all things. He is the first to be raised from the dead. He is to have first place in everything. 19 God the Father was pleased to have everything made perfect by Christ, His Son. 20 Everything in heaven and on earth can come to God because of Christ’s death on the cross. Christ’s blood has made peace. 21 At one time you were strangers to God and your minds were at war with Him. Your thoughts and actions were wrong. 22 But Christ has brought you back to God by His death on the cross. In this way, Christ can bring you to God, holy and pure and without blame. 23 This is for you if you keep the faith. You must not change from what you believe now. You must not leave the hope of the Good News you received. The Good News was preached to you and to all the world. And I, Paul, am one of Christ’s missionaries.” Colossians 1:9-23 NLV

God desires that we know His strength, experience His power and be filled with His joy. Christ came to make the relationship between us and God perfect. By his death on the cross we have peace with God. God, the Father, isn’t mad at us; He loves us!

Great News!

Because of his death on the cross, Jesus brought us to the Father cleansed, holy and pure, without blame. God sees us pure because of Jesus. Christ made everything perfect and made a way for us to come to the Father. Our sins are forgiven.

Great News!

Extra, Extra read all about it! God loves us and He’s on our side!!!



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