Unlimited: The God Who Redeems
Sep 17, 2019 2472
This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go (Isaiah 48:17, NIV).
One of the powerful ways in which God presents himself throughout the Bible is as a “Redeemer” (Isaiah 44:24; 48:17). The idea of redemption comes from the practice of ancient slavery. A slave was redeemed when someone paid the price for their freedom. That’s why God says that he “redeemed” the children of Israel, from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 6:6).
A redeemer sees value in what is seemingly worthless. A redeemer looks at a slave and sees freedom. A redeemer transforms reality by paying the price that makes a new reality possible.
The way that God redeems is difficult to explain to people who are not followers of Jesus. God takes weakness and turns it into strength. He takes sorrow and turns it into joy. He takes limitations and turns them into possibilities. He turns suffering into glory. That’s why the Apostle Paul rejoices in his sufferings (Romans 5:3) and attributes them to the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:10).
God often saves us through trouble and not from trouble. Even with Israel in Egypt, God didn’t take them to the Promised Land right away. They had to learn to trust him.
God is the Great Recycler. He recycles the rubbish of your life and turns it into something beautiful. The Bible teaches us that we have been redeemed because of Jesus’ mighty act at the cross (Ephesians 1:7). That’s where he paid the price. Every experience in our lives must be seen in the light of the cross.
– Eliezer Gonzalez
Eli’s Reflection: Can you think of a time when God didn’t remove the trouble from your life or from a loved one’s life? Christ was not spared the cross either (Matthew 26:39), yet there was glory in the end. That’s redemption. How can you view your troubles in the light of the Cross?
Pauline
Sep 17, 2019
Oh” Jesus my Redeemer my song shall be of thee... No other friend so constant, no friend so dear to me. He tells me , what l ought to do and he tells me, how to try,, and so we dwell together, my lord and l