CHAPTER 38: REDEMPTION AND THE YIELD 2024
“The memory of not being special may help..”
What is Redemption? Dictionary; re·demp·tion: the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil. Jesus paid a debt for me and you. It’s huge, hard to fathom actually. Yield, what’s that?
John 10:10
New King James Version
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
What is the yield of redemption? Let’s be clear up front. Eternal Salvation, a relationship with Almighty God, and the awesome reality that He will use you on this Earth to do Kingdom work. Now, in addition, as if that’s not enough, God will give you the tools to live correctly, and direct your path. What’s the catch? To receive the ultimate package, one must accept and believe in the Risen Messiah, pray for forgiveness and the strength to do better, offer yourself completely to be used by God, study the Bible so you know the language of heaven, and do all of this everyday. That’s the overachiever package, and there’s more — you get everything you need to do the job, including the pain that comes with growing up. Now if you’re going for the ultimate over achiever package, you will learn about gratitude for the pain of growth, the anxiety that comes when you don’t fit in on this Earth and then as a bonus a person learns to pray a hearty thank you to the Father for all of it, especially the hard stuff.
What’s the casual package? People who expect a lot out of God when they’re in trouble? “God help me in this impossible situation I’ve got myself into, AGAIN!” Which one are you? You see, you can start on the casual package and then move into the overachiever package. I understand that, the assignment is super challenging when you’re just starting out, a bit daunting.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
New Living Translation
3 We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. 4 [a]We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
That’s a tall order, but I promise the Lord blesses what you’re doing when this is you. He gives you the things necessary to do the job, the information, hardware and software. Otherwise, people are just posing. I’ve met many posers in and out of ministry, I assure you and I don’t want to be a poser, please Jesus. Preachers that pray to much and don’t do anything, except what they want to do, people that talk about being a christian, but haven’t picked up their bible in God knows how long, church and ministry are on an as they feel like it basis. All of us have talked like that at one point or another, however that is not tackling the yield of what the Lord has given in redemption. You got to take the bull by the horns as they say.
Romans 1:16a
English Standard Version
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,
Either I involve myself with God in the correct way, or I don’t. If I throw myself at my business instead, or the sinning qualities from the trappings of this world, what do I got? Questionable redemption and the yield is just what I don’t put into it. Who wants that? “But my business is a gift from God, right, I need to take care of it,” you might say. True, let’s look at it like this. Your children are a gift as well, but if you spend all the time with them, how would you work, how would you earn money to buy them clothes and food? Same with the company, if you spend all your time at work, how do you do the Lord’s church, the bride of Christ? He gave you a job, and money, so that you could do His work, it’s all one thing. Everything is everything.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
New International Reader’s Version
12 There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ.
I want to know my job entirely with Christ, be assured, no fear, moving in confidence. Is it possible? Well, it’s certainly not possible without Him. Without God, I’m an idiot defiantly moving forward, thrusting my ship into the unknown, a pioneer headed into adventure, right? Wrong, I’m headed for Niagara Falls without a parachute.
Pat, how do I get started on this 38?
Deuteronomy 28:1-14 New International Version
28 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country..15 However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: 16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.
The Yield of Redemption is clear in the history of America. God is mentioned four times in the Declaration of Independence, God or the divine is mentioned at least once in each of the 50 state constitutions and nearly 200 times overall, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. Thirteen colonies united in opposition to the British empire, and that has led to 247 years of freedom. There were plenty of mistakes, flawed individuals and so forth. Still, America, with a bible in hand, was born and sustained. God knew the heart of the founders of this country and blessed the land.
Galatians 5:1
New King James Version
5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Romans 10:9
English Standard Version
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
There are problems without God, we’re seeing them in our cities and states, schools, the children.
One of the most insightful American Founders, John Adams, had this principle in mind when he wrote, “Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Likewise, William Penn noted, “If we will not be governed by God, then we must be governed by tyrants.”
2 Timothy 3:1-5
New International Version
3 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
The yield? Things start making sense, even on the rough days. Health, priorities, relationships, challenges — all these things are part of His plan for you. Either I follow it, …or not. Follow it and He has His eye on me, don’t follow, I might be on my own. And that would be my conscious choice. He does give us free-will, that’s the point.
Deuteronomy 30:19
English Standard Version
19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,
The yield of my redemption is a better me. Remember, Jesus didn’t promise all good things for a Christian Believer.
Matthew 10:22
New King James Version
22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
Having said that, I pray thanks that I can get through my day without somebody shooting me for my belief in Christ. At the moment, my life, your life, right now is phenomenal. You have the tools to do what and where He has placed you. What if you decide Redemption and the Yield may not be your thing? Do you remember the song “Serve Somebody,” by Bob Dylan. That song says it best. “You’re gonna serve somebody, maybe the devil, maybe the Lord, but you gonna serve somebody.” I best be grateful and take care of the list today. That sounds good to me.
You might say, make it clear, what exactly did Christ do for me? I thought it would be good to outline a few items Christ did on that fateful day of crucification: 1) struck in the face by an officer of the high priest 2) blindfolded then beaten and spit upon by the men around Him 3) treated with contempt, mocked, 4) stripped of His clothes and flogged by two people with a whip (cat o nine tails), his hands tied above Him to a post exceeding the limit of 40 lashes 5) spit on and driving a crown of thorns into His skull (2” thorns) 6) given a crossbeam the size of a railroad tie to carry to Galgatha. 7) after 36 hours of beatings he fell exhausted, a man named Simon carried the beam 8) soldiers hammered 5-7” nails into His wrists 9) Hoisted into the air, nailing His feet, one atop the other to a small platform to stabilize the body as it hung. 10) as written in Mark, endured from the third hour (around 9 AM, until his death at the ninth hour, about 3 PM.) That’s just some of the highlights of what He did for me and you, and oh yes, that was right before the Father rose him from the dead. And for that, my sins are forgiven, past, present and future and I, having accepted Christ.
Isaiah 44:22 New International Version
22 I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you.”
It is very important to know how dangerous this world is and how satan moves to destroy you and everything in it. In my trouble, without Jesus, there is no where to turn, money, property and prestige will not save me, it is a false god, as outlined by…
Jeremiah 2:28 New King James Version
But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, If they can save you in the time of your [a]trouble; For according to the number of your cities Are your gods, O Judah.
You and me, we’ve got everything needed to walk the path, add the understanding of redemption and the yield of your life with it, that is a winning ticket.
John 15:4-5
New King James Version
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
You’re saying,“hey, I know a lot of successful people, and they are not believers.” No you don’t and neither do I. I’ve seen their balance sheet. Posers, remember that word. Posers. Pray for them.
For me, He called my name and I answered, right? Wrong. How could I hear Him from where I was? I called His name, crying, lost in all my stupid choices — and He answered and He showed up.
Jeremiah 33:3
New King James Version
3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and [a]mighty things, which you do not know.’
Charles Malik lived from 1906 to 1967. He was the ambassador to the United Nations from Lebanon and president of the 13th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in 1959, he stated:
“The good in the United States would never have come into being without the blessing and power of Jesus Christ…Whoever tries to conceive the American word without taking full account of the suffering and love and salvation of Christ is only dreaming. I know how embarrassing the matte is to politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, and cynics; but, whatever these honored men think, the irrefutable truth is that American is, at its best and highest, Christian.”
The world today — laughs at that. It makes me sad.
2 Peter 3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
3 First, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days to scoff, living according to their own desires,
God’s in 110% and I gotta push for the same, even though I’ll fall short. So what. Push anyway. The Yield of Redemption is too important. Without Redemption you will not see the promises, Heaven or eternity with the Lord. What’s the insurance policy to keep you on the straight and narrow?
1 Corinthians 9:24-25New International Version
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
In case you’re wondering who wants the yield of your Redemption more than you, to rob from you completely. If you guess satan, you would be correct. For you to be aware and not let that happen. Here’s what to look out for in yourself and those you love.
2 Timothy 4:1-5
New International Version
3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
Do the work, and do it with all your heart, soul, mind and spirit every second of every minute of every moment.
Chapter 38 Redemption and the Yield 2024
You never know when it ends. Be what you are, what you have been given…
The Yield of Redemption is You in the mirror…, “a new creation in Christ…,” at least I hope that’s what is in the reflection, if it’s not, fix it, so help me God. Amen..
