Redemption! This is the amazing work of our Lord Jesus; the demonstration of the unconditional love of God; and the powerful transforming ministry of the Holy Spirit. Redemption is not given to us as an obligation; it is not anything which we have deserved; it is nothing which we can obtain. Sadly, in our natural state, it is not even anything we would desire. This is solely the work of our Savior to rescue us from the bondage of sin, the meanness of Satan, and the eternal fires of hell; this is solely the work of our Savior to make us children of the eternal God, to indwell us with the Holy Spirit, and give us hope for today and eternity. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8.9). Jesus Christ willingly chose to be our Redeemer. He was rich in that He is God, one with the Father and Spirit; rich in His character as He possess all majesty, holiness, power, authority, glory, and honor; rich in dwelling in eternal glory; rich in that there is nothing wanting in Him. In the fullness of His love, Jesus chose to leave all His riches to be born of a virgin, to walk on the earth as a man, to be rejected by His creation, to be unjustly tried, condemned, and crucified. He knowingly chose to suffer the horrible penalty of all our sin on the cross, to pay the price of our redemption, and to secure us as His own.
Through His atoning sacrifice and the power of His resurrection, Jesus made it possible for us to enjoy the riches of His grace; to experience the joy of salvation, newness of life, cleansing of all sin, freedom from all bondage, and the release from all condemnation. In His redemptive love we are able to know the Eternal God as our Father, Jesus as our Savior and Friend, and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The riches the world has to offer will soon disappear; the riches given by our Redeeming Savior will remain for all eternity.
Enjoying the riches of salvation – we have much to be thankful for –
Terry Burlingame
My Morning Desk 