Girlfriends in God- December 03, 2020

December 3, 2020 Making Redemption Personal Gwen Smith Today’s Truth For I know that my Redeemer lives (Job 19:25a, NIV). Friend to Friend God can restore any life. In the beginning, when rebellion collided with perfection and darkened the hearts of humanity, God set in motion a plan of redemption. His plan was Jesus – the one who gives beauty for ashes, comfort for mourning, and freedom to the shackled. Scripture introduces us to a guy who experienced God’s redemption in deep ways. His name was Job. Job was a good man. I mean a really good man. No joke – the Bible says so! This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:1b). He lived life the right way. He honored God, loved his family and was both faithful and patient. Good man. You’d think that because Job was such a standup guy, he’d pretty much have a cake life, right? SO not right. Let me just say this: good-guy-Job went through some stuff. We are talking major big-league stuff. He had it all and then lost it all: his children, his wealth and his health. Gone. In a blink. Don’t just skim over that last sentence. This man lost his children. They died. All ten of them… at the same time. I can’t even fathom the thought of losing one of my children, let alone all of my children. Job knew broken on levels most of us will never come close to knowing. He knew ashes. He knew mourning. He knew darkness. He knew weary. On the front end of the pain He had faith. Big faith. He gave God the benefit of the doubt. He held on to his integrity, accepted his circumstances and blessed the name of the LORD in spite of the horror he endured. And he worshiped! Can you believe he worshiped? Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing (Job 1:20b-22). Job went through loss after loss, test after test and friend-with-bad-advice after friend-with-bad-advice who spoke condemnation instead of comfort. All that and his wife wanted him to “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9b) Nice. Job was in anguish (Job 6:2, 7:11). Understandable! He wanted to die because the pain was so unrelenting (Job 6:9-10). He called out to God and asked Him to reveal where he had gone wrong. Then he repented of the sins he knew he had committed. He lamented, stomped his feet a bit, got a smidge sassy and frustrated with God, and he wondered if God cared. Then God answered his complaints, corrected his heart, and set the wheels in motion for one of the most amazing shows of redemption the world has ever seen. God shined light into his darkness – spoke gladness to his mourning – and brought beauty to his ashes. He redeemed Job’s life from the dark pit of broken. After which Job humbly and whole-heartedly worshiped the Lord with a heightened reverence. Following the healing, Job worshiped God as his Redeemer. He was the first in Scripture to ever call God his Redeemer. For I know that my Redeemer lives (Job 19:25). God also calls Himself our Redeemer in Scripture. Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob (Isaiah 60:16). God is all about redemption. His love for humanity runs deeper than the deepest recesses of our depravity. His love runs farther than your past – higher than your disappointments – wider than your heart wounds and deeper than a cavernous pit of depression. God’s plan of redemption is for every person – no matter where you’ve been, no matter what you’ve been through, no matter what you’ve done. But, alas, there’s a catch. There’s always a catch, right? The catch is: it has to be personal. His grace is for every one of us, but each of us must accept or reject God’s redemption plan by accepting or rejecting his Son, Jesus Christ. Redemption begins and ends with Jesus. For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16, NLT). Have you made redemption personal with God? Whether you’re at work, at home, at the hospital or in a jail cell - be still for a moment and consider where you are with Jesus. Whether you're struggling with life strains or are in a season of reprieve - be still. Whether you have a house full of crazy-noise or an apartment filled with ordered-quiet - be still. Whether the diagnosis is cancer, or the sting of betrayal is fresh – whether the hope you cling to resounds or you're weary and unsettled: BE STILL. Know that He is God. Know that He is good. Accept that He is able and willing to exchange His beauty for your ashes. Call out to Him as your Redeemer. Confess your mess before Him. Then allow His love to restore all that's broken. Let’s Pray Dear Lord, My Redeemer, I’m here. I’m still. Please reveal anything in my heart that needs restoring. (Pause to listen and reflect.) I confess these sins to You: ________________ and I ask that You remove them as far as the east is from the west. Thanks for restoring me with Your grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. Now It’s Your Turn  Read and pray through Psalm 25. Where do you find yourself when it comes to the redemption of Jesus? Tell me about it or write a prayer of response on the wall of my blog. More from the Girlfriends Today's devotion is adapted from Knowing God by Name by Sharon Jaynes, Gwen Smith, & Mary Southerland by permission of Multnomah, division of Random House, Inc. TWO DAY GIVEAWAY! Get a FREE copy of Gwen’s Uncluttered CD when you purchase the Girlfriends in God book, Knowing God by Name, today or tomorrow. Only from the store at GwenSmith.net.   © 2020 by Gwen Smith. All rights reserved.   Seeking God? GirlfriendsInGod.com

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