Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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The Joy of Redemption in Christ

Robin Varughese
Epiphany MTC, NY
19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; 

Let’s face it- life gets tough! We find ourselves going through the daily motions of life that leave us so dejected and void of energy and we can’t seem to “snap out of it”. Especially as a Christian, many times we find ourselves feeling as if we don’t deserve the freedom we have in Christ- to the point we feel so unworthy that we stray ourselves away from His Presence. We may think no one feels this way, but in reality, it’s an age-old problem originating back to biblical times between the Jews and Gentiles and who was more “worthy” of God’s redemption.

Historically, the Jews wouldn’t associate with the Gentiles due to societal constructs. This even presented itself within the early disciples as they spread the Gospel to the Jews first before visions and events changed their view of Christ’s boundless love for all. Paul directly addresses this changing view to the people and acknowledges the fact that we are all under one redeemed community. Christ breaks the chains that shackled us to unjust societal norms and allows us to live together in love. This is what it means to “live for God” and “to die to the law” (Gal 2:19), for it’s God who should have hold of our heart, not the law. With this in mind, Paul writes to the Galatians to remind them of not only their vertical relationship with God but also their horizontal relationship with each other.

Through this redemption, we are called to show the same love Christ showed us to others, regardless of the reciprocation. The beauty of the Gospel is that we've already been justified by God through grace and now, with this redemption, we are sanctified for the purpose of God’s will. With this, we bear the immense joy of such a gift and are called to share that joy to others and to let them know of the unshackling freedom in Jesus. So next time the going gets rough, bear in mind that our worth is based in Christ Jesus and nothing can take away from it in this present life.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the Grace that You have shown to us in our lives. We thank you for redeeming us when we continually fall short and we thank you for never letting go of us during those moments. Continue to instill in us the Holy Spirit to lead us in spreading the Word to others and for others to experience the Joy we feel in You. In your Precious Name we pray, Amen

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
We are too much haunted by ourselves, projecting the central shadow of self on everything around us. And then comes the Gospel to rescue us from this selfishness. Redemption is this, to forget self in God. ~ Frederick W. Robertson

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