YOU'RE EXCEPTIONAL - YOU'RE REDEEMED

Oh yes, my sweet sisters in Christ, YOU ARE EXCEPTIONAL because Jesus has REDEEMED YOU AND FORGIVEN ALL YOUR SINS.

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14

I thought about using a picture of Jesus on the cross to illustrate redemption and forgiveness; for that's where the work that purchased our redemption was done. But, I chose this particular picture because it seems to vividly portray how I see myself when I think afresh about what it means to me to be redeemed and forgiven.

As an 8 year old girl inviting Jesus into my heart to be my Savior, I had, for the first time in my young life, a PERSONAL awareness of my sin. For the first time, I had an understanding that MY sin had hurt God and caused Jesus to have to die. It broke my heart! I remember crying and crying with a heaviness of both guilt and grief. When I accepted the truth that I was forgiven, I truly felt embraced by Jesus.

In the ensuing years I have had many occasions to once again need my Savior's redemption and forgiveness. Not for salvation. He saved me for all eternity and sealed me with His Spirit when I was eight. I was born of God. I am His child. I have a blood relationship with Him and NOTHING can change that. But many times since that day, I have failed to live above the power of sin and have yielded to it either through my own willful fleshly desires or in response to the evil one's temptations. Many times over the years, sin has held me firmly in it's grasp and has broken my harmony with God. It has disrupted the closeness of the fellowship I have with Him in our relationship. It's been in those times that I have needed my Savior to again rescue me and redeem me from sin's hold. It's been in those times that I have needed His forgiveness.

Every single one of those many times, girlfriends, when the Holy Spirit has brought conviction of my sin and I've realized how my sin has hurt my Father, my heart has broken just like it did at my initial salvation experience. I don't know that I've wept every single time, but I probably have. I've always been pretty tender emotionally and easily moved to tears. But tears or not, each time, I've had an image in my mind and heart of being embraced by Jesus just like the young woman in this picture . . . of being held close to His heart as I cried out my pain and anguish over my personal failures . . . of not being pushed away . . . but of continuing to be held close as He assures me of His love and forgiveness.

It's difficult to put into words what it means to be REDEEMED. What words describe something so beyond comprehension? It reminds me of the words to the chorus: I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene - and wonder how he could love me - a sinner, condemned, unclean. How wonderful! How marvelous! And my song shall ever be - How wonderful! How marvelous, is my Savior's love for me.

It's difficult to put into words how precious forgiveness is. What words adequately describe how hopeless and lost we would be without God's grace and mercy?

REDEMPTION and FORGIVENESS are EXCEPTIONAL gifts we are given by our EXCEPTIONAL SAVIOR. Does it make you feel exceptional to know that the Lord God Almighty, Creator of the Universe, loved YOU so much He was willing to sacrifice His one and only Son so that IN HIM you would have REDEMPTION and FORGIVENESS?? Personally, I can't think of anything on earth that should make us feel more exceptional that that!!