This morning I am led to 2 Samuel as I study the word “redeem”. In the passage, King David is crying out to the Lord with thanksgiving for the redemption that was/is provided by God.

“²⁸And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. ²⁹Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.” – 2 Samuel 7:28-29 (ESV)

David is grateful to God for the blessings given. Not so much the monetary items given, but the love and grace given. David understood here that all that is of his house is/was provided by God and for that he should be thankful and lift God up.

I believe that I (and likely you) miss the love and grace as I focus on the fact that I do not have something. I find myself angry or frustrated that God has not given me that which I think the world would deem a reward for being a Christian. But I have to remember it is not the world I am to be concerned with. I should be working daily to please God and that pleasure will bring blessings well beyond what this world can give.

David recognized the redemption provided by God as he spoke with Him here.

“²⁰And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord GOD! ²¹Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. ²²Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²³And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? ²⁴And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O LORD, became their God.” – 2 Samuel 7:20-24 (ESV)

I have been redeemed, and as such I am God’s people forever. I have to remember that each and every day and just as David does here, I should be showing God my gratitude for that redemption each day as I remember.

Thank you Lord GOD for all that you have provided and will provide for me. I love you Lord with all of me!

Are you aware of the redemption provided to you by God? What is your attitude toward that redemption? Are you redeemed and thankful daily?

“⁶Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. ⁷I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. ⁸I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.’” – Exodus 6:6-8 (ESV)

As I was led to this passage this morning, I was prepared to study the word “redeem” and of course God does not disappoint. Here God gives six I will statements; “I will bring you out, I will deliver you, I will redeem you, I will take you, I will be your God, I will bring you into”, and right in the middle of them He says “I will redeem you”.

Redeem, restore, repair. God will do all of those. I also find it comforting that God say He will as opposed to we will be. This indicates the ownership that God has for the actions. He will be doing these for me, not delegating them out to others. This work is so very important to God that only He will do the work as He is the only one that can. My life is in God’s hands and what a great feeling that is.

I know that God loves me, and with these words, God comforts me with His love and devotion to be sure I am taken care of as He planned. I am a project that He completes and not something He simply wants done. I am His and He demonstrates that with His love for me and the “I will” statements He make. I am His. I will love and honor Him as He loves and honors me.

When you think about your relationship with God, are you aware that you are His project? Did you know that you are that important to Him? God demonstrates His love and devotion through His “I will” statements, what about you?

I enjoy doing things that are fun. Pleasurable things are certainly not bad and should be undertaken, but in the right frame of mind and not in a way that could or does bring harm to others.

“¹But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ²For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ⁴treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” – 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ESV)

It is important to remember that I am here to please God and not myself. I am here to do His will and further His kingdom by bringing the Gospel to all. I cannot do that if I am always focused on my own pleasure and thinking of only myself.

When I accepted Christ, I accepted a New Self. One that is filled with love for others and a spirit to do right by all. When I take on the action of verses 2 – 5, I am only thinking of my Old Self, the one that cared about getting mine and making sure that I am pleased.

The fact is that my Old Self is not important at all. I have to focus on the pleasure of God with the New Self He gave freely to me. And with that focus, my own pleasure will be realized in the rewards I receive, maybe not here in this world, but they will be realized and I will get to enjoy them.

I will have pleasure, in this world, but not in the actions of the verses above. I will have pleasure through the glorification of God as I spread the Gospel and bring visibility to my Lord and Savior.

When you approach life, are you working to please yourself or God? If you accepted the gift of salvation, are you still trying to get pleasure from the world? Will you work to please God as thanks for the New Self He gave, by glorifying Him and bringing the Gospel to all?

To often I believe that we take on the attitudes and actions of those around us without thinking of how we should act and react. I know that I tend to bottle things up for a good period of time and then allow the smallest of things crack the lid and out it all comes, without thinking of how it may sound or look to others.

When we put on the New Self, there are a lot of things we become and a lot of ways we should act and react.

“⁹Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator…¹⁴And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” – Colossians 3:9-10 & 14-15 (ESV)

When the New Self is put on, I should be demonstrating love in any and all circumstances. My attitude should be one of love to and for all. I have accepted the love from Christ in the form of salvation freely given, and it is my duty to give that love to those I come in contact with at all times. The New Self is love, so I put it on daily.

What do you think of when you think of the New Self? Are you aware of the one thing that binds all else together, Love? Will you put on Love daily and demonstrate that Love always?

“²⁰But that is not the way you learned Christ!— ²¹assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, ²²to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” – Ephesians 4:20-24 (ESV)

My self is my choice. In fact, about a year ago, I was at this same set of verses and choice was that choice was the topic of my study on the word life. Here I am in study of the word self and the same verses draw out a different topic.

When I accepted Christ as my personal savior, I was given new life. I was provided a “new self, created after the likeness of God” as noted in verse 24 of Paul’s letter. I was granted an all new lease on life.

As I was given this chance for the new self, I still must do away with the “old self, which belongs to your former manner of life” as Paul writes in verse 22. In other words, I have to do away with the old and take on and embrace the new. It is up to me to fully accept the new that I have been given from Christ.

Even though I fully know better, to often I find myself blaming others for what is happening. I want to take the heat off of myself for having to do the work myself. I avoid what I have learned and want others to do it for me. “But that is not the way you learned Christ!” as stated in verse 20. I am responsible for doing away with the old me and accepting the new me that Christ has provided. When I do, I am able to fully experience the wonderful life He has given.

How did you learn about Christ? Are you still holding on to your old self? Will you do away with your old self and accept and put on the new self provided by Christ?

My outer self died and is wasting away, all the while, my inner self is growing stronger and stronger day by day.

“¹⁶So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” – 2 Corinthians 4:16 (ESV)

Paul expresses that as Christians, we are growing newer each day from the inside. I have used the following before and it was brought to mind again this morning. I liken this to the elderly. As they grow older, their faith seems to grow stronger. There is less placed on the monetary and tangible items of this world and more energy and attention are place in the spiritual and internal growth, especially in the relationship with Christ.

I am beaten down daily for what I see as following Christ in my approach as I work to serve others before serving myself. I have to remember the following as written by Paul.

“¹⁷For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ¹⁸as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” – 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (ESV)

God has prepared a place for my eternal residence in heaven. My way there has been paid, I only need to continue growing internally to prepare for my full enjoyment when I arrive.

When you look at yourself, are you concerned more with the exterior? What about your internal self? Are you growing and being renewed internally day by day?

“⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷For one who has died has been set free from sin.” – Romans 6:6-7 (ESV)

I died, the moment I accepted Christ as my personal savior. No, not physically, but in every other way that was hindering me from living a life for Christ.

My old self was cast off at the point of Jesus crucifixion. When Jesus died on the cross, He died for me and washed away all of my sin so that I might be set free. I certainly did not deserve His action, as I would not be around for almost 2000 years, and yet He still suffered so I would not have to.

My salvation was not a dramatic event that stood out to thousands of people as such an overt act of change. At least physically. I was dramatically transformed as my old sinful self was cast away in my salvation. My sins were washed away with the blood of Christ, and I was bathed new in my baptism and walk that way today, 35 years later.

Are you able to say that your old self has been washed away with the blood of Christ? Was that self crucified with Christ that day? Is you old self dead and are you walking in newness of life with Christ?

“⁶If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁸If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” – 1 John 1:6 & 8 (ESV)

Here John is spelling out the lies that we may be telling ourselves either verbally and through our actions. When I am actively disobeying God, I am certainly not living in the truth that is Jesus Christ and the gospel.

“⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:7 & 9 (ESV)

I have an out, and that out is my confession and repentance of my sin. But it all starts with my walk in Christ. As is stated in my ESV Bible’s introduction to the book of 1 John: “It reaffirms the core of Christianity, saying that either we exhibit the sound doctrine, obedience, and love that characterize all Christians, or else we are not true Christians.”

I am responsible for living a life as Christ, that demonstrates by both words and actions. I have a duty to be in the Truth to be assured of salvation.

When you approach life, are you saying one thing and doing another? What are your thoughts and beliefs around the Truth? Do you believe in your duty to the Truth?

“²²Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ²³since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴for ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, ²⁵but the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” – 1 Peter 1:22-25 (ESV)

I have been given such a great opportunity. I am able to abide in the “word of God”, which was made possible by my “obedience to the truth” and being “purified” and “born again”.

When I accepted Christ as my personal savior, I was forgiven of all that I had done and all will do and was added to the roll as a child of God. I was made New and whole through my belief and obedience to the Truth.

I am not, nor will I ever be, better than anyone else, as I am a sinner just the same. What I am is a new person with a guiding principle that is Jesus Christ. I have been given the chance to make lasting impact on those around me as I serve them through the service to God.

Are you able to say that you are new again? How did your newness come? Were you made new through your “obedience to the truth”?

I have a full assurance of faith through my belief in the Truth. As I go through my days, I rely on Christ to provide for my needs and for the safety and security of those around me. Yes, I have a responsibility to do my part and the physical labor required, however Jesus provides the way and the open hearts and hands to receive.

“²⁴And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” – Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)

When I am in the Truth and following the way as given to be by God, I am fulfilling my responsibility.

“²⁶For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.” – Hebrews 10:26-27 (ESV)

When/if I were to continue sinning with full knowledge of my sin, I will have walked away from the very salvation that I accepted. Am I a sinner, yes, and I will be a sinner for as long as I am here on this earth. I will continue to sin although those sins are those that I am not or may not be conscious of. I may take some action that I had taken before without knowing that circumstances had changed and rules and regulations and process had been adjusted. I am still responsible for the actions I took and I should be repentant of those sins and actions, but I did not sin on purpose. What I want to avoid is sinning by choice. I should be taking all precautions to be sure that my actions are in line with the will of God and when doing so, am living by and for and through the Truth.

My life is not my own. I live for and by the grace of God. I am to be faithful to Him and He will be and remain faithful to me. I choose to have fullness of faith through the Truth that is Jesus Christ.

When you look at how you proceed in life, how are you living? Are you aware that even as a child of God, you are still a sinner, and are you working to abstain from conscious sin? Are you living to the fullness of faith through the Truth that is Jesus Christ?