Redeemed

Psalm 103:2,4 “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits…Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies”
The most common and precious use for “redeemed” in Scripture is the Father’s provision of His Son, Jesus. to pay for our sins. That is the only way that we can avoid the eternal destruction of Hell. However, people were physically redeemed as well by being bought out of slavery or prison or saved in some other way. The undeserved gift of life is a precious opportunity to make choices and do service for our Lord in order to show our love for Him. Unborn babies who are killed in the womb are not given that opportunity which God surely meant for them to have.
In the midst of our love-motivated fight for the lives of the unborn, it is appropriate for each of us to express thanks to God that we were allowed to have this life. Even when we feel that our “quality of life” is not what it could be, we must realize that living is a gift, far more precious than being deprived of life. If you are 50 or better you were born before abortion was legal, but it still happened, and your life was still redeemed “from destruction.”
I think of “praise” as an “appraisal.” We think about (“and forget not”) and appreciate the value of God’s gifts and we lift Him up as the Provider of all good things. Let’s take some special time to do that on a regular basis.
Psalm 150:6 “Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”
Submitted by Scott Jones
State Missions Director