I DO! – Redemption Story – June 17th

I DO
June 17, 2021

Redemption Story

Romans 2:4, ‘Do the riches of His extraordinary kindness make you take Him for granted and despise him? Haven’t you experienced how kind and understanding He has been to you? Don’t mistake His tolerance for acceptance. Do you realize that all the wealth of His extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance?’ (TPT)

Part Three:

The girl in our story would persist on a wild decline. Prone to wander, she was. Jesus removes His hands sometimes. Do you know that? We have to come to the end of ourselves before He can begin. He will not work while we are playing games, name-calling, taunting. But He is always behind-the-scenes, actively effective, intensely, intently, intentionally diligent on our behalf. He simply takes His hands off while we bargain with chance because He won’t debate life with us. He is too unconditional to deliberate anything with the people He laid down His life to save. He is too majestic to need to.

Our girl found herself in a multitude of lonely places and saw herself in so many lost eyes. She would go on to search for fulfillment and drown herself in many imposters, always looking for a real deal that would satisfy, a certain ‘I Do’ that would resound differently than all the rest. Do you know that He is so very patient? If you are running, He is chasing after you. He is pursuing your heart. He is hoping you will stop to catch your breath. That you will bend over, your hands on your knees as you pant. That while your heart is beating wildly in your chest, you will allow Him to reach out long enough so He can caress your cheek and brush the hair out of your eyes and dry the tears on your face. He is the persistent and long-suffering, tolerant and forgiving, gentle and enduring, Lover of your soul. He waits for you.

And He waited for her too. Until she unraveled, untangled, unfolded. Then He could work. He no longer had to clamor for her attention; all the years He had shown up and waited; all the broken promises would now begin to mend. Do you know that He waits for you? He waits for you to turn your face to Him, to draw from His well of Living Water. And if you asked Him to share your soul, but like this girl, got caught up in life, whirlwinded yourself into a frantic search for the meaning of your existence; if you lost sight of Him as He moved forward and you stayed stuck; if His voice trailed away when you were out of earshot…He waits for you still. Right where you left Him. He hasn’t moved. You did.

Our girl heard His quiet voice whisper ‘I Do’ as it echoed and ricocheted off a bathroom wall in a forlorn motel in a lonely place. She thought He was the Only One standing between her and giving up, but all along, that is all He wanted, that for which He had been waiting. Her surrender could open one door to forever and close another door to that dead-end alley. She would finally find her future buried in the nail prints in His hands. She would be able to put to rest the striving, the hiding, the building of walls plastered with signs reading ‘Keep Out’ and ‘Beware, and she would begin to know her worth by the smile on His face. This girl has a before and after story, a redemption story, and it’s only just begun. She can’t wait until the next chapter. I know because that girl is me. And He is now EVERYTHING to me and His overwhelming patience and extravagant kindness led to my repentance.

What a promise ‘I Do’ is! Whether we are committing to a person
or simply being intentional in life, our word should be a cherished commodity.
This month, journey with me in ‘I Do’ moments which are an oath, a vow, a pact,
a pledge, an honorarium.