The Redeeming Theme of My Life

The Redeeming Theme of My Life.

In reality I been redeemed and loved. I have been bought with the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. He died for me. He saved me and I was not even born yet...I didn't do an dang thing!!! Then he opened my eyes by the Power of the Holy Spirit to see (often dimly) he saved me. I didn't do a dang thing!!! The great glorious God who made the heavens and the earth, became a man and died on a tree to take away my sin, and after this he came back to life, conquering death and promises me he will raise me from the dead and give me eternal life. I am Hoping in this... He now rules and reigns and has been given dominion over all things. He is the Boss. He is the rules... So what has he commanded me to do? ..One command, and what I want to be the Redeeming theme of my life, is to Love...  If I am to Obey him I must submit myself to his will and love others. Now I work... I labor...

Love is emotional heartfelt action for the redemptive good of another. It requires great Sacrifice and a constant death (dying to myself for another). I am seeking to start and continue this Joyous Journey based on a few Key Scriptures.

1.) You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another. (John 15:16-17 ESV) ------It is Gods plan and Idea for me to bear fruit, this is why he brought me into his service. And he has even prepared the Good works I will do. So that I can have the Joy of serving him. He choose me for the labor of bearing fruit. And it greatly pleases him that I would bear fruit by faith for his Glory.

2.) And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. (John 12:23-30 ESV) ----There is a life that I live on this earth that I must Die to. I must die to my own sinful desires and temptations just as Jesus did. I must look to see what he did.... He was about to go to the Cross to love and redeem, and knew he must die to the desire/will that does not want the suffering that is required to accomplish salvation. Jesus had to look at the Joy of the End Goal, and in that Joy he died to his sinful desires, and eventually died on the Cross. So he tells his followers for their greatest Joy, that they too must be like him, and die to themselves, and bear fruit. It takes a constant struggle and dying and results in a indescribable Joy. "what shall I say, father spare me from the hard work of dying to myself, giving my life to love and good deeds, because I want to be selfish and comfortable, no for this reason you called me into your world, glorify your name!!!" I want to genuinely be able to say that day in and day out.

3.) For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV) ----I must be rooted in the Love of God. God must open my eyes to see his love. and I must seek to know his Love, and pray for the eyes of faith to grasp his love. Its a fight and its grueling but If I am not dwelling on his love and his grace, then I am being fooled and cheated out of my Joy and fullness of life by the world, flesh and the devil.

 I have friends who love trees or plants as excellent metaphors for describing the Christian Life and Spiritual Growth. I prefer the Grape vine, because Jesus does..ha ha. Plus I love vineyards, and wine. I want God to walk through his vineyard over to the Randy branch of my life and find good fruit and him be glorified because it is and will be all his love and grace. What Kind of Fruit will I bear???