The word redeem had legal meaning in Old Testament Hebrew. The term meant to buy back a person, property or right to which one had a previous claim. Someone who had to sell himself into slavery because of poverty, for instance, could have his freedom bought back by someone called a redeemer, usually his next of kin.

Boaz redeemed the widow Ruth when he bought back the land that belonged to her mother-in-law, the widow Naomi. Boaz said, "You are witnesses this day that I have caught from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place" (Ruth 4:9-10)

This foreshadows the way Christ redeemed the Church and bought it back as his Bride. He saw our lost state and made sure we had a family, a home and a relationship with him. And the payment for this redemption? The body and blood of Jesus. He gave completely of himself to give us an inheritance with him forever.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

I remember one time that Susan and I slept on an air mattress. There was a leak in the mattress. By morning, we had sunk down into the middle with the two sides of the mattress enfolding us like a taco.

I kept thinking of the hymn "What wondrous Love Is This": "When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down... Christ laid aside his crown for my soul."

It was hard to get out of the "sunken down" mattress. It is impossible to free ourselves when we are sunken down in sin. Only Christ can lift us out. I also noticed that "down low" there was still a bit of air left in the mattress; I was not sleeping directly on the floor. When I think I have reached rock bottom in my life, I must always remember that the breath of the Holy Spirit still lifts me and sustains me, keeping me from the pit of despair. The sides of that sunken mattress acted like a warm hug, like loving Father, who says, "Don't worry, I've got you. You will not be crushed by sin."

--Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Genesis 1:27  So God created mankind in his own image, the image of God he created them.

Many wonder exactly what "the image of God" means. Some think it refers to our ability to reason. Another view suggests that God is reflected in our physical characteristics. Still others think the image of God refers to our relational nature and the relationships we have with God and creation.

I tend to favor the last description. God gave human beings a special place in the world. He desires a close, personal bond with us. His love for us is on a much deeper level than his care for plants and animals.

God gave us a special place in his heart: "I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3). Out of his great love, he sent Jesus to save us. Peter reminds us that, through Christ, "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9). That is our role as people created in God's image: We are to declare his praises and imitate him. Let the image of God shine through you.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

"Judge not, and you will not be judged," Jesus clearly states (Luke 6:37). But that is easier said than done when we are living in an increasingly judgmental society. It is easy to join the chorus of voices judging others.

As the saying goes, every time you point one finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you. We are all sinners, and we all fail. As Christians, we need to replace the judgments that may be welling up inside of us with forgiveness and love. That is how we would like to be treated if the roles were reversed.

Jesus continues, "Condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37). It is not our place to condemn. That is up to God. But it is our role to forgive. We are all in need of Christ's mercy for our failings, big or small. Our role as Christians is not to point to people in judgment but to point to the cross. Only there can grace be found.

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

While hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, you would notice stones stacked up into towers called cairns that served as landmarks and memorials. Cairns are similar to the rock formations used in the Bible by Abraham, Moses and Jacob as altars.

Abraham built an altar to acknowledge that God is God, saying through this cairn that he would obey God's will. God sent an angel to stop Abraham from sacrificing his son. Centuries later, God would sacrifice his own Son, Jesus, on the altar, the cairn, if you will, of a cross on a rock hill called Golgotha.

Moses erected an altar to God after the Israelites defeated the army of Amalek. We have moments in our lives after trial or tragedy, when we, like Moses, need to step back and honor in some special way the God who got us through.

The morning after Jacob dreamed of angels ascending and descending a stairway to heaven, he used a stone to make a cairn to announce that this was a dwelling place of God. We need to remember, too, that though we are sinners, God still loves us and has a plan of salvation for us, to take us to heaven to be with him forever.

Honor the Lord, who is the Rock, on your journey through life.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

The word adiaphora means "matters not regarded as essential to faith, but nevertheless permissible or allowed in the church." Topics such as the floor covering in the sanctuary or the color of paint on the walls in the fellowship hall, for example, are not essential to faith, but often take up a large part of our time. Adiaphora.

St. Paul was asked about adiaphora by the Corinthian Christians. Should they eat food sacrificed to idols? He said in response: Food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. (1 Corinthians 8:8-9)

We need to spend less time worrying about things that are essentially adiaphora and more time on matters that are essential to faith: Baptism, evangelism, Holy Communion, preaching the Word, Bible study and prayer. Even if something we do or say is not necessarily against our beliefs, we need to be aware of the way in which we go about these things. We are models of Christ even in things that don't really matter.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Acts 4:36-37 Joseph, A levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means "son of encouragement"), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.

Throughout the Book of Acts, we read about a disciple Christ named Barnabas, whose name means "son of encouragement." His name indicates the impact he had on the early Church and to those to whom he witnesses on his many missionary trips with the apostle Paul.

How can you be a Barnabas, a son or daughter of encouragement, in your life today? You can be on the lookout, as Barnabas was, for the gifts in others. Then encourage people to use those gifts to God's glory. Don't be afraid to join them in using your gifts, standing beside them to support them along the way. You can be encouraging by being open and available when people want to talk, as Barnabas was. Be there to listen. Be there to care. Be there to take interest in the lives of people. Keep urging them on in their work for the Lord and in living in God's grace.

To whom can you be a Barnabas today?

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,