Jacob, A Redeemed Man
During his journey to meet Esau, Jacob wrestled with God one night. Do you find yourself wrestling with God like Jacob did? Jacob refused to let go, and that night, God revealed Himself to Jacob!
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Redemption
It’s Time for the Bride to Take Her Place!
I had the privilege of preaching the word of God yesterday at my church. Instead of sharing a devotional, I am sharing this message.
The Great Differentiator (Part I)
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 55:3
The creation and humanity continue to have birth pangs awaiting the redemption of all things! This weekend we remember the incredible price Jesus paid on the cross to pave the way for our salvation and redemption! His birth, life, and His resurrection were all miraculous and bring hope to humanity! …
Unless a Grain of Wheat Falls…
Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. John 12:23-26
The above passage occurred after triumphal entry. Many came to see Jesus and brought their palm branches declaring the entrance of the King of Israel to Jerusalem! However, Jesus knew that the true triumph was waiting for Him on the other side of the cross! He had to defeat the enemy and redeem man from the power of hell, sin, and destruction!
While Jesus’ disciples must have felt good about Him being acknowledged by the people, Jesus likened His life to a grain of wheat that has to fall to the ground and die before it produces much grain and becomes fruitful. Even though Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life, His true reproduction began after going to the cross!
Jesus endured the accusations, scorns, and sufferings before the eyes of His family, disciples, friends, and His enemies. The cross may have made Jesus look weak and guilty to the world, but He was meek and pure, and His strength was under the control of the Holy Spirit. He was not derailed by the voices around Him and neither did He bow down to the demands of others. Despite people’s expectations of Him to be the king of Israel, Jesus knew that the nation of Israel as well as humanity needed a Savior for its redemption and reconciliation! This must have disappointed His disciples, but Jesus knew His assignment and what the Lord had required of His son! If He had not died for the sins of humanity, He was going to remain alone, and He could not bring the many sons and daughters to salvation and reconciliation to the Father!
In this hour, many look to government and experts to be the savior of humanity. There are many demands on them to have answers for the current situation, but Jesus has the answer to man’s true condition. People may be temporarily focused on the pandemic, but the world including our nation is need of spiritual restoration and deliverance! There is no peace unless the Prince of Peace is invited into our lives. Our marriages, families, communities, and our nation are in need of healing, and the answer is in the cross of Jesus.
True healing begins with us admitting that we are incapable of fixing our problems. We need to ask for forgiveness for our sins, our selfishness, and our stubbornness that has caused so much disorder in our lives and in our communities. We also forgive others. Jesus paid the full price for all our sins to set things right with the Father and with one another. He also taught us that we can experience the power of resurrection through repentance and denying our old nature. When we allow our carnal nature to die to unbelief, pride, division, animosity, strife, hatred, and anger, we give room for the resurrection power to bear fruit of the spirit and restoration in our lives. Jesus paid a high price, so we can have the privilege of living a life of freedom, peace, love, and reconciliation. Thank you Lord for sending your son to the earth! Thank you Jesus for your great sacrifice and redemption! Thank you Holy Spirit for being with us and for your conviction and revelation!
Paid in Full!
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46
Jesus likened the kingdom of God to a merchant looking for beautiful pearls. We can presume that this merchant knew and understood the quality and value of pearls. He came across this beautiful pearl, and he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy it even it it cost him everything!
Similarly, God is expert in humanity and knows and understands our value and our potential! Although sin had marred humanity, the Lord knew the beauty of human soul, for He created us in His image! Even though the Lord still possessed this whole amazing world with all its beauty, but God’s heart was after people! When sin entered the world, it broke our covenant with a Holy God, and humanity no longer belonged to the kingdom of God. We were no longer in relationship with God! Therefore, we had to be bought back from the kingdom of darkness. So the Lord sent Jesus to seek and save those who were lost!
In the above parable, the beautiful pearl was a pricy one, but the merchant was willing to sell all he had to buy it. The merchant had found something that was worth more than all the others things he owned, and he was willing to sell everything to pay full price and purchase this pearl of great price.
We were also pricy to be bought by God. From the beginning, when God created Adam and Eve, He called us good! Sin did not change our value before God, but it caused us to be separated from the Kingdom of God. To fix the problem, humanity had to be bought back from the kingdom of darkness. The price was very high, and the only one qualified to pay the price was God’s son, the perfect one!
Jesus’ blood paid in full the price for our salvation! He paid full price for the pearl of great price! He didn’t leave anything out to be bought later. He died for our past, present, and future sins. He died for our insecurities, shame, guilt, inadequacies, rejection, rebellion, and pain. There is nothing that Jesus’ blood cannot cover, and He cannot forgive. He washed us clean as the pearls of great price. His satisfaction is for us to be belong to Him!
For those of you who have never known Jesus, He has already paid the full price for your forgiveness and restoration! Hs saw you as valuable despite all your past, and He died on the cross to buy you back from sin and destruction and to bring you to His Kingdom of light and freedom! The invitation is yours if you choose to accept His work on the cross on your behalf and surrender your life to Him! If you are ready to accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, click on Salvation prayer at the top of this page and pray the prayer. I can assure you that your life will never be the same again, and you begin a journey in knowing and growing in God that will last you a lifetime!
For those of you who already know Jesus, is there anything that keeps you from Him? Is there anything that causes you to feel not accepted? The truth is that He paid the price in Full, so there is nothing that can keep you from the love of God. Talk to the Lord and lay down anything that has been a heavy burden or has caused a distance in your relationship to God or others. He paid it all, and He can restore your life when you give him the reins!
Let’s thank the Lord for what He has done for us and receive His acceptance in full! Praise the Lord for sending Jesus to the earth, and thank you Jesus for paying the full price for our redemption and restoration!