Reflections Devotional Week 19 Redeemed

Being redeemed is a truly beautiful thing. When you are valued so much, that someone else would come and pay the price in full for your freedom..it is so precious- and it has happened.

Long ago on a cross, a man sent from God- Jesus Christ, the Messiah, laid down His innocent life in exchange for ours, satisfying the debt and releasing us from obligation. We don’t deserve such kindness, such love, but He did it anyways and because of Him, we are redeemed!

Here’s our scripture for the week:

^“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to REDEEM us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” Titus 2:11-14

First, let’s look at what “redeem” means in the original Greek:

Redeem ( lytroō, in the Greek, 3084, Strongs)

To release on receipt of ransom, to redeem, liberate by payment of ransom; cause to be released to one’s self by payment of a ransom; redeem, to deliver from evils of every kind, internal and external.

I seriously love this definition, especially the last part: to deliver from evils of every kind- internal and external! I know I didn’t just need redemption from the evils in this world when I got saved, but I also needed redemption from the evil that was inside of me!

And it’s a redemption that I need daily as I learn to walk in Him and by His Spirit! A quick look in my concordance shows me that the word lytroō is a verb, meaning it is an action word, a word filled with motion, a word that DOES something.

Don’t forget to grab your FREE scriptures cards that accompany this study!

Jesus DID something for you and I, He wasn’t just “all-talk and no-walk”!

Our Lord followed through with His promise to redeem and liberate those who believe in Him– and He continues to give us redeeming power on a daily basis. What a precious gift!

This is why it is so important to know WHAT we are redeemed from and WHY.

Jesus spilled His blood and gave up His life for a reason, a PURPOSE. His grace makes it possible for us to lead “self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age”.

This gift of redemption came with a purpose: To say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, that we would be a purified people FOR HIM that are eager to do what is GOOD. This scripture clearly says that He redeemed us from all wickedness for His purpose!

Redeemed For Good

Our redemption was never meant to be a ‘free-for-all” so that we would live our lives just doing as we please… no, we are meant to live and walk as He did on this earth! Paul, in his writings, referred to himself as a ‘slave to Christ’. (Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and singled out for God’s good news–Romans 1:1)

 

The Redeemed Slave

He understood that the human heart is always “slave” to something, or someone, because the heart is always worshiping. Jesus came and died so we would no longer be slave to the wrong masters.

Sin, wickedness, worldliness, evil, idols, etc… are all wrong masters that will only steal, kill and destroy the one who serves them. Think on a time when you were engaged in sin or evil of some kind- did it ever produce anything good for you??? No. But when our servant-hood belongs to Christ, an upright and godly life that does good is the result!

All throughout history, the records of slavery are filled with horror stories of grave abuse, dehumanization, depravity, death and hardship. The slave had no rights and was often not even considered human. Not so with Christ as a master!

Whoever heard of a Master-slave relationship where the servant reaps all the benefits?!

Yet, that is what we have! We are redeemed from what destroys and harms that we might have life in Christ and have it abundantly! He holds no good thing back from those who love Him- Glory!

This is why there is no shame in being a “slave to Christ”.

And it is why I don’t mind proclaiming that I was bought with a price. This is why the Christian is filled with gratitude and worship.

You are redeemed- and our Master truly loves you!

We are liberated from the bondages that held us captive and were, ultimately, killing us. It is important that we know the VALUE of our redemption and the high price by which it was obtained: a sinless Christ on a cross. He received a punishment that was meant for us and yet, He was filled with nothing but love and goodwill for us. Jesus died to give us reconciliation with the Father, freedom from our sins, a blessed life and a home in heaven with Him. All praise to the Lord!

Let’s Pray:

Father, thank You for redeeming me. For rescuing me from a life that promised only death and destruction. I know the price that was paid for my redemption- Christ died for ME. May I live a life worthy of that price; self-controlled, upright and godly, always being eager to do good. Use me Lord, to show your beautiful redemption story by the life I live. May You be glorified always through me. In Jesus Name, Amen

Dive Deeper

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Romans 3:24-26

Words to pay attention to: justified, freely, grace, redemption

 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace Ephesians 1:7

Words to pay attention to: redemption, forgiveness, riches, grace

DID YOU MISS THE FIRST DEVOTIONAL IN THIS SERIES??? YOU CAN FIND IT HERE.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BOOKS WRITTEN BY NICCI? YOU CAN FOLLOW HER AUTHOR PAGE ON AMAZON TO BE NOTIFIED WHEN NEW RESOURCES FOR YOUR FAITH JOURNEY ARE RELEASED!

I’LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK WITH ANOTHER REFLECTIONS TRUTH!

Save