Rescued and Redeemed

Rescued and Redeemed

By Carolyn Dale Newell

…knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct… but with the precious blood of Christ…

1 Peter 1:18-19 NKJV

She shivered on the auction block, alone and ashamed. How had it come to this? She had left her loving husband who was now raising three children, and they may not be his own. Why had she been unfaithful? Why had he been so good? Why did she turn to a life of prostitution? Her choices had led her to the slave market. She had no answers, just guilt.

She could not look at the faces of the men gathering around her. She tried to ignore their slurs.

Hidden in the midst of the shouting crowd stood the man who loved her. The bidding began. Almost immediately, she heard the familiar voice of her husband. He was bidding on her! Why would he want her now? He continued to bid higher and higher. It was the forgiving love of Hosea that rescued Gomer from a future of bondage.

Christian, it was God’s love that rescued us from hell. Gomer was Hosea’s wife, but he still had to purchase her in order to save her. God created us, but He had to send His Son to redeem us with His precious blood.

God’s love letter, the Bible is filled with stories of redeeming love. Stories like Hosea and Gomer, and Boaz and Ruth, and that amazing story of our redemption.

We can identify with Gomer, feeling unworthy of God’s love. Friend, no one is worthy of His love. An undeserving love. An unconditional love. A love like no other. God loved us while we were still sinners (Rom. 5:8).

Maybe you feel unloved today. Perhaps you feel shame and remorse. God loves you. We were rescued from sin’s slave market. Not with money. Not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Like Gomer, we were helpless and hopeless. Jesus made a way when we could not find our way. You can read all about it in His love letter to you.

Heavenly Father, thank You for saving me from a life of sin. Thank You for seeing past my faults and loving me anyway. Thank You for rescuing me from hell. Help me live a life pleasing to You. Amen.

DIG DEEPER

Read Hosea 1-3. God demonstrated His love for Israel, who played the harlot, through Hosea and Gomer.

HIKING THE TRAIL

John 3:16 is a familiar verse, but replace “the world” with your name. If you had been the only one, Christ would have still died for you. Like Hosea, God rescued and redeemed His children from sin’s slave market. That is something to be thankful about.

Copyright 2017 Carolyn Dale Newell.

Frazzled by Frustration

 

FRAZZLED BY FRUSTRATION

By Carolyn Dale Newell

But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

Luke 10:40 NKJV

We all have those days when one thing after another goes wrong, and beware to anyone who has the bad timing to be nearby. I think Martha was having one of those days. She had nicked her finger peeling potatoes, the macaroni had boiled over, and the sweet potatoes were burning in the oven. To make it worse, nobody had let the dog out, and now there was a mess to clean up. She must have reached her boiling point to ask Jesus for help. If Jesus was in your house, would you ask for help in the kitchen? Only if you were frustrated.

However, Jesus lovingly rebuked Martha. In verses 41-42, Jesus said, “…you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Scripture does not give us Martha’s reaction, but I imagine she joined Mary at the feet of Jesus.

Friend, that is exactly what we need to do. No matter how rushed we are, we need a few minutes alone with Jesus. That is where we can gather restraint when we want to scream. ”Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint” (Prov. 29:18). When I learned that the Hebrew word translated “revelation” means “divine communication”. this verse really spoke to me. We can have divine communication when we pray or read Scripture.

Your “everything went wrong” morning can ruin your day. Remember, the devil seeks to devour us (1 Pet. 5:8). He cleverly trips us up where we will say something we later regret. Resist the devil. Let it go and give it to God. Seek His restraint and His peace. Will you join me for “that good part” at the feet of Jesus today?

 Heavenly Father, please surround us with a hedge of protection from the devil’s ploys. Help us be restrained when frustrations come before they start to snowball into an emotion that we cannot handle. Thank You always for grace and mercy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 DIG DEEPER

Read Luke 10:38-42 and meditate on this passage.

HIKING THE TRAIL

Be prepared for your next frustrating moment. Have a few Bible verses handy on your phone so you can gather restraint quickly. Some good ones are: Ps. 142:3, Phil. 4:5-7, and 1 Pet. 5:7-8.

Copyright 2015 Carolyn Dale Newell.