I Am Redeemed.

1 Peter 1:18-20 [NLT]: "For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days."

Redeem: "To ransom, liberate, or rescue from captivity or bondage, or from any obligation or liability to suffer or to be forfeited, by paying a price or ransom; to ransom; to rescue; to recover; as, to redeem a captive, a pledge, and the like."

Redeemer: "one charged with the duty of restoring the rights of another and avenging his wrongs. ... This title is peculiarly applied to Christ. He redeems us from all evil by the payment of a ransom."

Redemption:"the purchase back of something that had been lost, by the payment of a ransom. ... The debt against us is not viewed as simply cancelled, but is fully paid. Christ's blood or life, which he surrendered for them, is the "ransom" by which the deliverance of his people from the servitude of sin and from its penal consequences is secured."

Ephesians 1:7 [NLT]: "He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins."

Colossians 1:13-14 [NLT]: "For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins." 


"To Know Your Name"

Hillsong United

"The precious blood of Jesus Christ redeems,

Forgiven I’m alive, restored, set free.

Your majesty resides inside of me,

Forever I believe,

Forever I believe.

Arrested by your truth and righteousness,

Your grace has overwhelmed my brokenness.

Convicted by your Spirit, led by Your Word.

Your love will never fail,

Your love will never fail.

‘Cause I know you gave,

The world Your only Son for us

To know your name,

To live within the Savior's love.

And He took my place,

Knowing He’d be crucified,

And You loved,

You loved,

A people undeserving!"

Your Love Is Strong

"So why do I worry? Why do I freak out? God knows what I need, You know what I need... Two things you told me: that You are strong and You love me. Yes, You love me..." 

I love this song a whole lot. Another essential reminder!

"Your Love is Strong" -- Jon Foreman

Matthew 6:25-34 [NLT]

²⁵ “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? ²⁷ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

²⁸ “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, ²⁹ yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.³⁰ And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. ³³ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

³⁴ “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Remind Me Who I Am

I really like this song. What a good reminder. Seriously. As ridiculous as it may sound, I need to be constantly reminded of God's love for me and dwell in this wonderful knowledge. My natural tendency is to forget. And when I forget 1) who God is, and then 2) who I am in Christ, that's when I really start having problems. How essential it is to know God personally and to know our identity in Christ.

Ephesians 1:11 [MSG] ~ "It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for."

Remind Me Who I Am ~ Jason Gray

"When I lose My way,
And I forget my name,
Remind me who I am.

In the mirror all I see,
Is who I don't wanna be,

Remind me who I am. 

In the loneliest places,
When I can't remember what grace is.

Tell me once again who I am to you.
Who I am to you.
Tell me lest I forget who I am to you. 

That I belong to you.
To you.

When my heart is like a stone,
And I'm running far from home,
Remind me who I am.
When I can't receive your love,
Afraid I'll never be enough,
Remind me who I am.
If I'm your beloved,
Can you help me believe it?

Tell me once again who I am to you.
Who I am to you,
Tell me lest I forget who I am to you.
That I belong to you.
To you.

I'm the one you love,
I'm the one you love,
That will be enough,
I'm the one you love.

Tell me once again who I am to you.
Who I am to you.
Tell me lest I forget who I am to you.
That I belong to you,
To you."

1 John 3:1a [NLT] ~ "See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!"

Ephesians 1:3-8 [NLT] ^~ 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. ⁴ Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. ⁵ God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. ⁶ So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. ⁷ He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. ⁸ He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

Rediscover You

Love this song.

"Rediscover You" ~ Starfield

"I need to just admit
my faith is paper thin
I'm feeling so burned out
On religion

I say an empty prayer
I sing a tired song
I need to just admit that the passion's gone

And I want to get it back

You told me
Look for You and I will find
So I'm here
Like I'm searching for the first time
Revive me, Jesus
Make this cold heart start to move
Help me rediscover You

I want to learn to pray
The way that David prayed
I want my soul to burn when I hear Your name
I want to feel like new
I want to hunger for you
Bring me back to life like only You can do
Cause I don't want to stay the same

You told me
Look for You and I will find
So I'm here
Like I'm searching for the first time
Revive me, Jesus
Make this cold heart start to move
Help me rediscover You

Lord, I want to be Yours today
I want to know the passion of the saints
And how they were changed

You told me
Look for You and I will find
So I'm here
Like I'm searching for the first time
Revive me, Jesus
Make this cold heart start to move

I want to burn for You
Bring me back to life, Jesus
Help me rediscover You"

Jeremiah 29:13 [ESV] ~ You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Psalm 121 ~ My Help Comes From The Lord

Sometimes after I read something, I paraphrase what it's saying in my own words. It helps me to actually think about what I'm reading, rather than just glaze over it. I hadn't done this in quite a long time, but I did this morning after I read Psalm 121.


In the ESV...

"Psalm 121
My Help Comes from the LORD

 ¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills.
   From where does my help come? 

² My help comes from the LORD,
   who made heaven and earth.

 ³ He will not let your foot be moved;
   he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, he who keeps Israel
   will neither slumber nor sleep.

 ⁵ The LORD is your keeper;
   the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
   nor the moon by night.

 ⁷ The LORD will keep you from all evil;
   he will keep your life.
⁸ The LORD will keep
   your going out and your coming in
   from this time forth and forevermore."

My paraphrase...

 ^[1] I look all around me and ask, "Where does my help come from?" ^[2] Then I remember--my help comes from the Lord God! He will help me! God created everything around me on Earth and in Heaven. Surely He who created everything can help me with whatever I am facing! ^[3&4] God will not let me stumble, fall, or fail. God is my guardian! He won't sleep on the job. Indeed, God who watches over His people will not doze off or take a break from His guardian post. ^[5&6] Jesus is my guardian, my keeper, my healer, my protector, my rescuer, my hero. He is right next to me, and He is with me wherever I go. He never leaves my side! By day and by night, He is with me. Nothing can harm me with such a steadfast guardian beside me! ^[7] God will protect me from evil. My life is in His hands. ^[8] God will watch over me and protect me no matter where I am or where I am going. He will always protect me. He will never abandon me. Ever. And that's a promise. He is with me today and every day.

And then I thought of this song...

"My Help Comes From The Lord" ~ The Museum

...And how true the lyrics are!

"When sorrows come and hope seems gone
You’re the Rock I rest upon
When waters rise and I can’t breathe
You’re the love that rescues me

Out of the darkness
I lift up my eyes
Unto the hills
I feel my faith rise

Maker of heaven, giver of life
You are my strength, my song in the night
My refuge, my shelter
Now and forevermore
My help comes from the Lord

When I’m broken, scarred by sin
Death gives way to life again
When I suffer, when I’m bound
In You I’m free, in You I’m found

Out of the darkness
I lift up my eyes
Unto the hills
I feel my faith rise

Maker of heaven, giver of life
You are my strength
You’re my refuge
Now and forevermore

My help comes from the Lord
My help comes from the Lord"

//Amen.

Lord of the Raging Sea

Psalm 89:9 [ESV] ~ "You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.

I'm thankful that even when life seems crazy, God is greater than anything I am facing.

Your Love Never Fails

"Your Love Never Fails"

by Jesus Culture

"Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails

I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails

Chorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There maybe pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

Verse 2:
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails

Bridge:
You make all things work together for my good"

Psalm 30:5b [NLT] ~ "Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning."


Hebrews 13:8 [ESV] ~ "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."


Romans 8:38-39 [Amplified Bible] ~ "For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."


Psalm 46:1-3 [TNIV] ~ "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."

Made For More

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis says, "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

We were made for more than this world in its broken, sinful state. We were made to be in perfect relationship with God, our creator. As humans, we ruined this relationship because we chose to sin. But God loved us so much that He sent His only son to die in our place. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." He paid the price we could not pay. His love for us is SO BIG!


I really like the C.S. Lewis Song by Brooke Fraser, and the truth it speaks... Especially the Bridge.

C.S. Lewis Song, by Brooke Fraser

"If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,
I can only conclude that I was not made for here
If the flesh that I fight is at best only light and momentary,
then of course I'll feel nude when to where I'm destined I'm compared

[CHORUS]
Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan as I wait for hope to come for me

Am I lost or just less found? On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?
Is this a soul that stirs in me, is it breaking free, wanting to come alive?
'Cause my comfort would prefer for me to be numb
And avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become

[CHORUS]

[BRIDGE]
For we, we are not long here
Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it
And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know you
Hope is coming for me
Hope, He's coming"