Allow God To Make It Redemptive

July 15, 2015

Allow God To Make It Redemptive

Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

2 Corinthians 4:10

In the glorious chapter four of Second Corinthians, Paul affirms that we are fragile human beings. We are fragile both in our physical bodies, and also in our human emotions. Within our human weakness, clay jars or earthen vessels is the metaphor Paul uses in verse seven, the trials and tribulations of life assail us; but even though we may get knocked down, we are not destroyed. God uses the difficulties of our lives in a redemptive way so that, “Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:10).

Jesus embraced the symbol of his brokenness, the cross, and made it redemptive for all humankind. We too are invited by God to embrace our brokenness, and thus allow God to make it redemptive to those we encounter. How do we do this? I suggest that you make a list of all the places you are broken.

Begin with the places your body is broken and scarred. Then list the ways your heart has been broken. Are there any broken relationships in your life? If so, list them. What about your mind? Some may experience more difficulty in accessing our memory; if this includes you, add this to your list. For many, the ways the world, and even our own nation seem to be turning against people of faith is affecting our spirit. Are you becoming less hopeful and more cynical? If so, add your broken spirit to your list.

When you complete your list, submit it to God and ask for His blessing: “Loving Father, please bless my brokenness for my purification and sanctification, and may my brokenness be used by you for your redemptive purposes. Amen.”

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms is available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ is available as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.