DAY Four- redeemer
Pause
“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
... My heart faints within me!”
— Job 19:25–27
and at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
... My heart faints within me!”
— Job 19:25–27
Rest peacefully before the Lord. Settle into His presence.
To redeem means to liberate — to pay a price to set someone free.What comes to mind when you think of Jesus as your Redeemer? What has he set you free from?
Sit with these things for a few quiet moments.Ponder
“But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law.
When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing.
For it is written in the Scriptures, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’”
— Galatians 3:13
— Galatians 3:13
As a child, my love for grocery stores centered around S&H Green Stamps, incentives Mom got for shopping based on how much she spent. My job — which I took quite seriously — was to lick those perforated pages and paste them into the book. When it was filled, we could redeem the stamps for something wonderful.
For many years I treated my spiritual journey in the same way. Getting things right and doing the things that good Christians did, felt like adding stamps to a book. Hopefully one day I’d fill enough pages and redeem them for God’s acceptance and approval.
I lived with what the Bible calls the curse of the law ... trying to do enough, to be enough to measure up to God’s standards.
Like a hamster on a wheel, I kept running — hoping I'd finally make it — but I never did.
Failure...frustration...futility.
I could not redeem myself.
My story seems universal and is woven throughout the Bible. Again and again, God rescued His people when they could not save themselves — from the shame of rebellion, from the guilt of sin...from the tyranny of foreign rulers.
Every time, they were grateful beyond measure.
Every time, they couldn’t keep their promises.
Then in the fullness of time…
The Redeemer came to set us free.
God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law.
Galatians 4:4. — Galatians 4:4
Galatians 4:4. — Galatians 4:4
Liberated from the bonds of our brokenness, we come with nothing in our hands but trust in His sacrifice.
What we receive in return is favor beyond compare.
— love without earning,
— acceptance without end.
Our Redeemer, the exalted Christ now reigns on high. His glory shines brilliantly across space and time as He continues to purchase men and women from every tribe and nation and tongue to be His own, to dwell in His presence for eternity.
One day angels and saints alike will fall down in worship and wonder at such love (Revelation 5:9).
The tyranny of “getting it right” has been shattered forever.
We are accepted...beloved.
Our Redeemer lives.
Pray
Spend a few moments in quiet gratitude for your redemption.
What does freedom from having to get it right look like for you?
One day, your Redeemer, who gave His life to set you free, will take His stand on the earth. Contemplate that moment...Wait before Him in awe...
Write a prayer of response.
What does freedom from having to get it right look like for you?
One day, your Redeemer, who gave His life to set you free, will take His stand on the earth. Contemplate that moment...Wait before Him in awe...
Write a prayer of response.
Practice
Begin each day this week whispering:
My Redeemer lives...I am enough.
Speak it again whenever you feel pressure to perform or shame over failure.
Let truth reshape what you believe about yourself.
My Redeemer lives...I am enough.
Speak it again whenever you feel pressure to perform or shame over failure.
Let truth reshape what you believe about yourself.