“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 NIV).
Jesus is our Redeemer. What does being redeemed mean? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary among the definitions of redeemed is to free from what distresses or harms: as to free from captivity by payment of ransom or to free from the consequences of sin. Jesus came to earth to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He gave His life so that we could some day have eternal life with Him. Before He came the Jews had to make sacrifices all the time for their sins. It was a continuous process. Jesus came to be the sacrifice to end all of the other sacrifices. We owed a debt because of our sins and Jesus paid it for us. He went to the cross willingly knowing what was ahead of him; the agony, the beatings, and the humiliation. He did that because He loved you and I so much that He wanted us to have a part in the Heavenly kingdom. Being redeemed is so wonderful because it is a gift that God has given us with no strings attached. We are to accept it and then live for Him.
When I was a kid my mom saved S&H green stamps. She would get them from purchases and save them up to get items from the S&H catalogue. We would look at the catalog and pick out something that we could save the stamps for. Then after we filled up a bunch of books we would redeem them for our wonderful gift. It was exciting to finally get it because it usually took a bunch of stamps to get it. But in the end it was so worth it. Our wonderful gift that we get from Christ’s redemption is eternal life which is the one gift that is better than all the riches in the world.
What have you done with your Redeemer? Have you thanked Him lately for the sacrifice He gave for you? Are you living a life that is pleasing to Him?
Dear Lord,
Thank you so much for redeeming us from our sins. We know that we aren’t worthy, but that it was a gift to us. Help us to remember that sacrifice and live a life that pleases you every day.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
