Redemption

So, my goal was to write one blog a week during the summer.  This week wouldn't have been an issue except for the fact that I want my blogs to be encouraging and motivating......I have been online and at the employment office job searching this week....I keep seeing that blip of President Obama saying that the private sector is doing fine....and all I wanted to blog about was the fact that the private sector that I live in is not doing fine!!  That would have been venting, in my opinion, so I decided to wait until I had something better, again in my opinion, and here it is. 

My daily desk calender devotions have been about redemption.  ( It has only taken me 6 months to realize that there is a new theme each week!)  The last sentence for today says, "He(God) has redeemed you because He loves you, cares about you, treasures you, and has a plan and purpose for your life."  Wow!  I could probably write a whole article on this one sentence, but, in the spirit of the blog, I'll try to keep it short. Think about those words.  Loves you.  Cares about you.  Treasures you.  Has a plan and a purpose for your life.  When was the last time that you felt treasured?  If you're like me and busy with a family and blessed to have one you probably know that someone loves you and cares for you.  But really, when was the last time that you felt treasured?  How does it feel to know that you are.  You are treasured by the God of the universe.  The creator of all things wild and wonderful treasures you just as you are. 

He treasures you so much that He sent His only son to redeem you.  I think redeem is probably defined a little differently by each of us who know that we are redeemed and that Christ is our Redeemer, but I got to thinking about what that word really means.  Dictionary.com gives 5 short and sweet definitions and you can check them out there.  I am thankful that I have been redeemed.  I am even more thankful that redemption didn't start and stop on the day that I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.  Every day in all sorts of ways Jesus is still redeeming me.  Today for the first time I thought about redemption in a different light.  If we as Christians are striving to be more like Christ, and He has told us in God's word that we would do even greater things than He, are we then capable of redeeming someone?  Of course I know that we can't save their soul, but we could pay the price for them.  We could "buy them back" so to speak.  A kind word and a listening ear can go a long way in helping someone who thinks he/she has made so many mistakes that nobody can love them.  Think about the people in your life that you love, care about and even treasure.  Start there.  Who do you know that is carrying the weight of the world on his/her shoulders?  Who do you know that thinks there is nobody who can "afford" to buy him/her back?  Who do you know that needs redeemption?  Remember, you might be the only Jesus that some people see.  Don't miss the opportunity to show them what redemption feels like 'cause it feels amazing!