He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his Beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:13-14.
“Redeemed! How I love
to proclaim it... Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.” The last couple weeks, the words to that
great hymn have been going through my mind.
Over and over, they seem to be stuck on replay. The apostle Paul was big on this identity
truth. Redemption & Forgiveness were his theme song. The blind hymn writer, Fanny Crosby, who
penned the words to the hymn, seemed to see and understand the truth better
than most who could read it. “Redeemed,”
she wrote, “...and so happy in Jesus. No
language my rapture can tell!” As I have
mulled and marinated my mind in these words, I recognize just how deeply she “got
it” – never to forget it. She washed
herself in the theme daily...and lived with gratitude (from everything I’ve
ever read about her life), just as Paul did.
The redemption story is this simple. At one time, I stood on an auction block, a
slave to sin, being passed around from one owner to another, when Jesus found
me standing there in my naked shame. He loved me at first sight; chose me; then paid the price to redeem me (as a treasured possession); and when I was handed over to him in my
chains, he set me free (forgiveness). Loved.
Chosen. Redeemed. Forgiven.
Freed. These are powerful words!!! With absolute certainty, there is an oh-so-happy-in-Jesus-no-language-my-rapture-can-tell
relationship between us! At least, there
should be! When we grasp the fullness of
redemption and forgiveness, we live in its declaration of grace. It’s one of those moments when we declare
with all that is in us, “I WILL NEVER FORGET.”
Yet, sometimes we do forget.
We allow ourselves to get comfortable in the new life as a free
man. We start to believe we’re entitled
to more. We settle into the day in and
day out routine of safety and security in God’s love, and we start to neglect
the relationship. Or worse, we ignore
it. Or maybe even worse, we choose something in place of... When this happens, Jesus becomes invisible. Then, when things get tough, we start to
think he’s abandoned us. Not true! Jesus is with us always. It’s his covenant promise to us. If we don’t sense his presence, maybe it’s
because we’ve forgotten. Maybe it’s
because we’ve stopped letting the words of redemption
and forgiveness fill our minds, move into our hearts, and draw us into that
closeness of the oh-so-happy-in-Jesus-no-language-my-rapture-can-tell
relationship.
Ever since the words to Fanny's hymn have circled around in my brain, my prayer has become: May I NEVER FORGET!
“I think of my blessed Redeemer. I think of Him all the daylong;
I sing for I cannot be silent; His love is the theme of my song.”
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