100% Redeemable!

Sitting in church on Sunday was, to say the least, uplifting.  My gaze was fixed on Jesus as our Pastor preached on the book of Jonah.  (His passion for God's word saturates his whole countenance and it is infectious.  I told CB later that I was going "interactive" during the sermon.) Here's the what I got out of the message.

Even when Jonah disobeyed God and went in the opposite direction from where God was sending him, God in His great compassion came after Jonah!  He was thrown into a raging storm at sea and God summoned a giant fish in a moment's notice to swallow him whole.  Then when, after three days in the belly of the whale,  Jonah repented and God had the fish spit him up on the shore right outside of Nineveh.  Jonah obeyed God, spoke a few words to the people and they repented.

My spirit was resounding with the amazing truths and gospel connections being made.  And this thought came to me, and again, I knew God was about to show me something.  The Christian life is 100% redeemable.  How amazingly encouraging is that?  (Please go to Christ Community Church's website at http://www.christccberks.org/ to access this series on Jonah.)  And God didn't stop there for me, He illumined some more scriptures.

Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good."  There it is, 100% redeemable!  Even sinful choices, tragic events, frustrating adoption processes or difficulties with our spouses or children, get worked together for our good and His glory.  God is the ultimate recycler!  He wastes nothing and has carefully planned everything in our lives.  God's word even tells us that not even a sparrow can fall to the earth without Him knowing of it!  The power is in that little three letter word ALL!  And not a single one of God's children is exempt from that promise.  What other way of living can make that claim and come through on the promise?  Even now, hope is being fanned into flame for our future with Peter!  We are dizzy with excitement.

Our precious boy has Down's Syndrome and because of that his parents put him up for adoption.  There are so many redeemable things to look at connected with our boy. Hopefully others who are adopting a child from other parts of the world with DS will have their gazes lifted.

1.  Psalm 139:13 says: "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb."   Down's Syndrome should be called "Designed Syndrome" because in the forming of the inward parts of these little children God added an extra chromosome.  He has a purpose for people with DS!  Again 100% redeemable right!

2.  Psalm 139:16 continues and says, "You saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, everyone of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them."  Even before our special ones existed God had a purpose for them.  And where the world would discourage the birthing of these precious ones, God's mighty hand wraps around each one with dignity and value bringing them into the world and then stirring the hearts of His children to come and rescue them.  Redeeming them from the antiquated perception of individuals with DS by replacing it with the godly potential that can exist for them.

3.  Psalm 139:14 blasts out, "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."  God calls us, doesn't He, to go and bring these little ones home.  He does that not only for us and not only for them, but so that each child would become an ambassador of the Gospel to their people group and a reminder to all the rest of us that God made them fearfully and wonderfully.  100% of these children are redeemable and this brings such glory to God  and spills over as joy to us.

How thrilling to know that our lives were designed by God, every detail, to bring glory to His name!  We all have Designed Syndrome.  We all have flaws, they are called sin, and He came and rescued us because of that.  Even more so, that He will work all things together for good in our lives!  That there are no accidents, God doesn't slumber or sleep, He is diligently watching over His children.  And our little ones with DS are His as well!  Jesus didn't come to save the strong, the smart, those that have it all together, He came to save you and me! 

So back to Jonah!  Maybe some of you have been going through rough periods during the adoption process that have left you frustrated, anxious or maybe in unbelief.  You have boarded the ship and are headed for Tarshish, and God has surrounded your boat with a great storm and you are fearing for you lives or the life of the little one you wish to adopt.  Turn to Christ, look to God and see that you are securely in the hand of the Almighty God, hemmed in behind and before!  Repent and find grace to help in your time of need.  Remember, that every aspect of our lives, in the hands of our Wonderful Savior, is redeemable and He will work all things together for good.  He will complete this process in our lives and keep us every day after until Jesus comes back for us!  Be of good courage.

Our lives are 100% redeemable!  Hallelujah! What a Savior!  What a life!