“Our prayers for you are always spilling over into thanksgivings.
We can’t quit thanking God our Father and Jesus our Messiah for you!
We keep getting reports on your steady faith in Christ, our Jesus,
and the love you continuously extend to all Christians.
The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack,
tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope.”
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Lines of Purpose . . .
Deep in every heart, we wonder: Who am I? Why am I here?
To answer these questions, we naturally look to our past. We might even look to our present. But these perspectives can only tell us who we’ve been and who we currently are. Yet, this isn’t the whole of who we are. There’s something more. We just know it. We sense it in the marrow of our being.
Our truest identity isn’t found in our past or our present; it’s found in Christ, as we live each day to become more like Him.
When we surrender our lives to Christ, not only does God forgive us, but He also takes the threads of our past — even the darkest strands — and He weaves them into a tapestry of redeemed beauty.
The lines of purpose in our lives are found here, in the redemption story He’s given us. The answer to who we are and why we’re here is tightly tied to the hope we have in Christ — a hope He wants us to share with everyone we know.
So when we look around and see a hurting world, we offer the only balm that truly heals and completely restores. We offer our story of Jesus, of how He’s healed us.
Our future is inextricably tied with Him.
This is why we spill over into thanksgivings. This is why we want to love continuously. This is why we see our future with hope. We have a redemption story to share.
How has Christ redeemed you?
Bev @ Walking Well With God says
Denise,
This is beautiful…I would have to say that Christ continually redeems me. He has given me grace with chronic illness; He rescued me from an abusive marriage; He has given me a husband who seeks to be like Him. Every day is a redemption story – new with His mercies. Truly, my identity is not in my past, present, or future. It can only be found in Christ. Thanks so much for this glorious reminder!
Blessings,
Bev
Beth Williams says
Denise,
Wonderfully written. Christ has given me a home in Heaven where I can be with Him forever! AMEN!! He has allowed me to leave a “destructive” to me job and given me more time to care for my aging dad and be a better wife to my hubby! He has given me wonderful friends who pray for me and walk with me on my journey! As Bev said it His mercies are new daily!
Blessings 🙂
Christine Gaeta says
Thank you for these words this morning. I loved the part about when we surrender our lives He takes even the darkest threads and makes them into redeemed beauty! The Lord takes the ashes of our lives and makes them into something very beautiful as we surrender to Him daily. Many blessings to you this morning.
Penny says
Denise,
I fully appreciate what you have expressed for us here today, thank-you.
It’s not by chance but by the Grace of God that I am who and where I am today.
Sandra Crittenden says
YES HE HAS REDEEMED ME. CLEAN ME DAILY IN HIS BLOOD AND SHOWS GRACE AND MERCY. NEW LIFE I HAVE IN HIM FOR ETERNITY FOR HE CHOSE ME TO REDEEM SO I COULD BE ONE OF HIS DAUGHTER AND SISTER. HE HAVE GIVEN ME THE RIGHT TO HEAVEN’S LIGHTS.
Lora says
A tapestry of redeemed beauty! I love that imagery! It brings healing and a smile to my inner being!