redeemed

The First Son

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

Matthew 21:28-32 ESV

It matters far less where we’ve come from, or even where we find ourselves than where we are headed. God is in the business of reconciling lives. He rescues and redeems. He takes broken and imperfect people and restores them and uses them in the story He’s writing. I believe that this parable of Jesus illustrates that. The two sons described are then related to sinful people and religious people, but not in the way they would have expected. Jesus confronts the religious leaders of the day who refused to see the Kingdom of Heaven standing before them in the person of Jesus and continued in their spiritual blindness to operate contrary to the call of God. Then there were the tax collectors (one of the most hated in society) and prostitutes (one of the most dejected in society). They were the broken and lost who saw the Kingdom of Heaven in the person of Jesus and believed and surrendered their lives to Him.

Obviously, we have a stark contrast between these two groups of people. But I believe the point Jesus is making, is that He is the source of life and salvation, and even those of us who started off life with the worst possible choices, can still find redemption through Him. Even today, if you find yourself in a lifestyle contrary to the God’s calling on your life, you can choose Jesus and find life and restoration. No one is beyond His love. No one is beyond His grace. No one is beyond His reach.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

John 3:16-17 ESV

The whoever means whoever. I was once living a life apart from God. Self-seeking. Pleasure-seeking. Honor-seeking. But not God-seeking. But just as the first son did, I changed my mind. I have gone to work in the vineyard where the True Vine is and where I hope to be for the rest of my days. And the grace I have been shown I hope to never take for granted. Do you know someone who is living the way I once did? Walk with them. Listen to them. Speak life to them. Pray for them. Live a life that reflects Jesus to them. They aren’t ever beyond hope. None of us are. Let’s choose life and finish strong!

Peace in Christ brothers and sisters.

God’s Redemptive Love Part II: Noah

~ ForCommonGround ~ 1 Comment

“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord… Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.”

Genesis 6:5-9 (NKJV)

In part two of the series, we are taking a look at the person of Noah. The story is one usually thought of as an act of judgement, but it is also one that shows God’s extreme love for mankind. I have heard many people view this story as one of God’s wrath and leave it at that. But when we look closely at this story we see redemption.

Imagine the pure evil and absolute corruption of man at the time of Noah and then ask yourself, “how much love does God have that He still wanted to redeem humanity after their complete abandonment of Him?” Honestly, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see a world that is so broken and corrupt and full of sin. We live in a world very much like that today. How could God still want humanity to find redemption? The answer is simple. His love is not human love but divine love. A love that is always trying to reconcile our hearts to His. A love that looks at an earth filled with total decay and depravity and does not give up. A love that would preserve a piece of His creation even when the creation wanted nothing to do with Him.

Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you… Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

Genesis 9:8-11 (NKJV)

Noah and his family were not perfect. It wouldn’t take long for them to be impacted by the mark of sin that we all carry. But God still called them out. He still saved them. We too are imperfect and broken and should find encouragement in this story. God is calling us out of the fallen world to be a part of His new beginnings. We just have to get on the boat.

Peace in Christ brothers and sisters.