Redeemed by the Blood
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our
trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
(Ephesians 1:7)
Meditation
I have no right
to expect God to do anything to save me. I have done nothing to earn my
salvation. Even if I were the holiest person to ever live, holier than Apostle
Paul, D L Moody, or Billy Graham, I would still be a filthy sinner compared to
the only perfect man to ever live. I would not be able to stand in the presence
of the Father without having been redeemed by his Christ. I have no chance of
spending eternity in paradise after this life, without someone paying the debt
of my sins, demanded by God. That price was paid by Jesus out of his
overflowing grace. His love for us knows no bounds, even though most of us will
reject him in complete and willful ignorance. He allows us the freedom to
choose hell over him.
The Father, who
is full of grace, provided the path for me to be redeemed, and I am cleansed
now! I was as filthy dirty as I could be, but I have been washed as white as
snow by the blood of Jesus. He didn’t require me to clean myself before he
would save me. He took me as I was and made me a new creation. I strive to be
like Jesus, but I fail him every day, not because I want to, or I don’t care. I’m
just an imperfect human being. I am far from where I want to be, but he’s not
done with me yet. I am forgiven and can stand in the righteousness of Jesus
before the Father. As I was lifted from the waters of baptism, I was symbolically
brought up from the grave and resurrected to a brand new life.
Before I was saved, I never thought of sinning against
another person as sinning against God. However, whenever I did something evil
to someone, whether purposely or not, I was sinning against my Father in heaven.
Most of those evil acts I committed, haunt me to this day, but I know I have
been forgiven by God. I hope I am forgiven by anyone I sinned against. Every despicable thing I’ve ever done is forgiven and
forgotten by God. I have repented of my past, and now I try to allow Jesus to lead me
through life. Whenever I backslide and turn my back on my Savior, I always
begin to feel an inexplicable emptiness in my heart. When I return to him, my
empty heart is filled to overflowing. In the richness of his grace he always
takes me back. His mercy and grace are limitless, and I hope you will avail
yourself of his cup overflowing with love.
Daily Prayer
Heavenly Father, anything that we can say that’s good about ourselves is like filthy rags compared to you. The mainstream culture today wants everyone to believe we’re all good at the core without any influence from you. They claim that goodness comes from within each person. However, we know real goodness comes to us only from you through Christ. Father, we thank you for the redemptive work of Jesus. Otherwise, we would still be in our sins with no hope for eternity. We thank you for the grace you extended to mankind two thousand years ago when you sent your Son to us, and the grace you show us every day. Please, Lord, be with us each day as we walk through the chaos all around us, from the political turmoil to murder and mayhem. Be with our loved ones and keep them safe. Soften the hearts of any who are not saved and if we can say something to influence them, please give us those words. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!
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