In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. (Ephesians 1:7, NIV)
I’ve played golf in many places. I’ve gone from exclusive country clubs to gopher-infested chip-and-putt munis in the span of one round. When it comes to golf, call me Ulysses.
But there is a certain brand of golf that’s hard to resist. Here it is: cheap. That’s right. I admit openly that if I can get a lower green fee than the one usually posted, I’ll take it. What that often means is keeping an eye open for coupon books and special deals.
To make these work, though, you often have to exercise one simple practice. You have to walk into the shop and hand them your discount certificate. When I redeem the certificate, I get my reward—a nicely priced round of golf.
Now that certificate itself is not worth a penny. It’s only a piece of paper. But as a golfer with a tee time, that paper has clout in my hand. And when the worker in the shop takes it from me, the deal is complete. Worthless becomes worthy.
The scriptural idea of redemption is no different. In this case, though, you and I are the piece of paper. Our sins have robbed us of our value. On our own, we have no standing before the God who can reward us. We only stand a chance in the hands of a legitimate Redeemer.
Jesus is that Redeemer. He is the one who walks into the throne room of God, arms hugging, fingers clutching an untold number of “paper certificates.”
God says, “What are these?”
Jesus replies, “These are the ones I’ve come to redeem.”
The Father halts him: “You know they’re only good here if they come with the mark.”
“You mean my blood?” Jesus says. “Got it!”
You see, on the day of our final redemption at the judgment seat of God, there will be no counterfeits, no alternative certificates. Those who are redeemed are those who have been forgiven through the work on the cross and affixed their faith-driven hope to the blood that was shed there.
By redemption, we go from worthless to rewarded. Crazy, I know—but if we’ll live in this great wonder, we have access to “the riches of God’s grace.”
—
Jeff Hopper
June 25, 2013
Copyright 2013 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.