Part Two of Two

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. 1 Peter 1:3–4a (NIV)

My friend Stephanie is an accomplished and prolific quilter. The beautiful fabric colors support and compliment the often-complex designs on the face of the quilts. Each piece is carefully placed, the points and corners aligned. Between the colorful front and the coordinating back, batting is placed to add the warmth of a loving hug for the recipient of the quilt. Stephanie quilts the blanket together with carefully stitched designs, such as a meandering path or feathers.

One day Stephanie donated a quilt for a youth group fundraiser. Seeing that it was not getting anything near the amount it was worth in the silent auction, she decided to bid on the quilt herself. She made it, and she redeemed it.

Why would someone buy back what they made? Stephanie recognized the value of the quilt and sacrificed to purchase what she created. It later benefited someone who would treasure the quilt. Likewise, Our Creator values us. Not wanting us to remain separated from Him, God redeemed us through the sacrifice of His Son, Christ Jesus.

What benefits of redemption are there for us?

In the April issue of this devotional blog, I mentioned that when we in faith follow Jesus, the benefits are more than a guaranteed place in heaven for eternity, as wonderful as that will be. Let’s look at some of the other benefits of having a relationship with Jesus.

• Forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 1:7)
• Salvation and Eternal life (John 3:16)
• We have living hope (1 Peter 1:3–5)

We belong to the family of God.

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:12-13 (NIV)

Stephanie’s redemption of the quilt made the quilt hers again. Jesus redeems those who believe in him, making us his once more. God adopts believers into his family. Just imagine, we are called the children of God! We can call him “Abba, Father,” an intimate expression like “Daddy.” Our Heavenly Father wanted us to be part of his family before we ever knew him! We share in the inheritance of Jesus as joint heirs with him.

For all are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we also may be glorified with Him.  Romans 8:14-17(NASB20)

Quilts made by Stephanie

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What impact does being part of God’s family have in your life?

We have the assurance of God’s love.

Jesus loves us with an everlasting love. Nothing is able to separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:35–39). Jesus Christ died for us because of His love for us. He didn’t wait for us to clean up our lives, nor can we earn the right to be part of His family. That’s impossible! God loved us while we were still walking in sin and rejecting Him.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (NIV)

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10 (NIV)

God’s presence is with us. 

We have the Holy Spirit within us. Jesus said the Father would send another advocate to help us and be with us forever—the Spirit of truth (John 14:15-17) The Holy Spirit testifies about Christ, teaches us and brings everything Jesus said to memory, guides and directs us, and helps us to do God’s will (John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:13-15; Galatians 5:22-25; Galatians 6:8).

How do you know you have the Holy Spirit within you?

How has the Holy Spirit helped you? Please share in the comments.

The Lord redeems us for his own. We are His!

Let’s praise Him!

Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing me into Your family. I marvel that I am your child. Help me to obey and follow You, so that when people say I am a Christian, it will mean I resemble Christ Jesus.  In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

Thank you for giving me your time to read my devotional. Please leave a comment.

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Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV):
Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan.

“Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org”