Redeeming Love

Happy Valentines Day! As a sweet treat I hope you enjoy these thoughts about Redeeming Love

There are several innate qualities that are evident which all humans share. These are the remnants of our original design. God patterned us after His own character, so that we could have relationship with Him. We have the ability to love, show kindness; be patient, endure through many circumstances. We have the power to heal and the power to destroy; the ability to reason and make decisions. Because of the sinful nature we inherited our original design was perverted.

Recapturing our intended purpose is God’s choice He chose to restore us. When sin entering our genetics, we became unable to relate to God and operate in His Holy nature. This sin nature resulted in being self centered creatures. From the moment sin entered humanity it spread to all creation and nothing behaves as its original design.

The Lord chose to redeem us and restore us to the right relationship with the Father. His mission was to restore His creation to it original design, therefore correcting our wrong choice. Knowing we could never achieve the relationship with Him that He desired.

The word redemption has the meaning that something was lost or stolen; something that needs to be repurchased or ransomed.

You may have never understood that you were stolen from God, sold into slavery and are unable to return home, your rightful place. You may have never understood that you were made for God’s pleasure and that your life has meaning. You may have never understood that your ransom has been paid, yet you continue to live in slavery. This is the good news of Jesus Christ!

For the last two thousand years, the name of Jesus has been sent to the entire world. I am sure you have heard something about him. Some think of Jesus as a good man, a prophet, good moral teacher, but very few believe He is the redeemer. The one sent to repurchase things that were stolen from God and cast into slavery.

The ransom price required was something more precious than anything on earth. More than all the gold, diamonds, rubies and precious gems the earth held. More than all the water, air, land and seed producing plants that ever existed. The price was more than we can comprehend. The ransom price was the perfect life of Jesus, God’s own son.

You’re probably thinking, “We’ve all heard that before – For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life John 3:16-- But nothing has changed! People still die, there are still wars and destruction- Tell me something new”

Am I right? You may not have said those exact words, but you thought them in your heart.

Perhaps you’re thinking, “Jesus was just a good man, moral teacher. He was just another human being, just like the rest of us. We’ve heard the same good teaching from many others like Mohammad, Buddha. If we just live a good moral life, we’ll find happiness and eternal bliss”

Again, Am I close? You made not have said those exact words, but you may have thought them in your heart.

This brings us back to our original design. We have the ability to reason and make a choice. The choice we make has eternal consequences. We can choose to believe God when he declares that “All have sinned; all fall short of His glorious standard” (Romans 3:23 NLT)

The consequences of sin is death, (Romans 6:23) meaning eternal separation from God. True death is not just this body we live in dying, but the soul we possess, lives forever! That is the life; the true life that dwells inside this fleshly housing. We can choose to ignore the warning.

Many people believe in religion, attempting to live to their own standards of goodness, but religion is death. God has given us freedom from religion by trusting in Jesus, whose perfect life paid the complete ransom. He took our sin and destroyed its power over us so that we could make a choice, we have been set free, but we have to accept our freedom.

“So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free!” (John 8:36 NLT)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23 NLT).

“To all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12 NLT)

This is the choice of every human being, what will you do with the name of Jesus?

Liebster Blog Award

My dear fellow christian writer Carol Peterson has graciously awarded me with the highly coveted Liebster Blog Award (for blogs with under 200 members). Thank you, Carol for your blessing and encouragement!

Carol's Blog : [http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/] where she encourages and prays daily for our writing to glorify the Lord. Please visit her blog for a heaping dose of love.

It my supreme privilege to pass this award on to these other writers who are gifted and bless others with their talents.

1. Christine Henderson [http://thewritechris.blogspot.com/ ] Who supports flegling author's by posting interviews of authors on her site.
   
   
2. Ceclia Pulliam [http://outoftheclosetintothelight.blogspot.com/ ] Who inspires those struggling with their walk of faith to stand tall
   
   
3. Louis Edwards [http://wwwheaven-bound.blogspot.com/ ] Who teaches the truth of scripture in an uncompromising way.
   
   
4. My dear friend Ada Brownell [http://inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com/ ] A widely published author who supports new author's with interviews and re views giving them exposure in a public arena. She also shares stories from her facinating life.
   
   
5. Victor Travison [http://victortravison.webs.com/apps/blog/]  A science fiction writer who masterfully combines stories from Star Trek with the walk of faith

I hope you visit their sites often!   

February Blog Chain

Welcome once more to our monthy blog chain. This month's theme is “Leap” I thought it was interesting that the date I chose also is packed with spiritual meaning. The number eight (8) is quite special in God's Word since He used it in many ways: Eight people saved from the flood, On the eight day the male child was circimcised, Jesus met with Thomas eight days after the resurection. There are many other significances to the number 8, but what it means is New Beginings- cool huh! So that is the premise of my post. I hope you enjoy and also visit the other blogs of our growing number of talented Christian bloggers listed on the right side bar.  

A New Beginning

You probably didn't realize all the wonderful possibilities that await you, moving from one comfort zone to something less known, but that is where the possibilities to materialize.

For so many years I took for granted each new day. Waking up and going about my business without any sense of what the day would bring. More often than not, my well ingrained routine maintained my life on auto-pilot. Wearing blinders through the drive to work, elements of change going on all around didn't phase my opinion or direction.

I was not looking for anything special, my routine life seemed quite satisfying. Yet my soul was searching for something. I had dreams that were being crushed by living life on auto-pilot. Those dreams cried out like a child trapped in a dark cave, crying out, looking for a way to fulfill their mission.

It was a day, just like any other when I met Jesus- and my whole life changed! Little did I know that waking up that morning, crawling out of my warm comfy bed into the morning light would be the last time I woke up in darkness. I had no idea where we would go or what I'd do, but my soul was engaged and my body was filled with life and light.

Later I realized that He had been looking for me and calling my name, but listening to His voice was not part of my routine. He sat up detours and road blocks, but my auto-pilot knew how to evade those obstacles, so our paths didn't intersect. My heart made excuses for those supposed encounters as only coincidence, and my mind would not accept something that I couldn't control.

How foolish I felt when I learned the truth! The one that loves me, gave his life for me, totally forgave me of my ignorance and blesses me with every good and perfect thing, was patiently waiting for the right moment to reveal himself to me. Growing in that truth is a daily new beginning.

I see life from a totally new prospective. I see the trees, smell the flowers, watch the clouds and admire the wild life that God so masterfully created. I see my life with unlimited possibilities. Comfort zones are for those who don't know the truth. They are still trapped by fear of unworthiness, believing the lie of the evil one who wants to keep all God's potential away from those who would give him glory.

As children of the Living God we have great power to influence those around us. We don't need to wear symbols that identify us as Christians, all we need to do is wear a smile, have a listening ear, show kindness, assist those in need and let the light of love flow out of us to those in darkness. It's through our attitude of love that God can bring about new beginnings in others.

It takes a leap of faith to trust in the name of Jesus, but it takes a renewed mind to the truth of his love that makes every day a miracle, filled with possibilities and wonder!

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