[God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. – Colossians 1:13-23

Ir reminds me of the movie Ransom where a very wealthy father played by Mel Gibson offers a huge ransom – not to the kidnappers, but to whoever is able to return his son to him, or bring the kidnappers to justice. His resolve and commitment to attain the return of his son is remarkable. His willingness to go to great lengths is inspiring. It is, however, but a faint reflection of the unbelievable lengths to which God went to rescue and redeem us. And for some he sends rescuers who will go to great lengths to complete the rescue. 

I’m thinking of people like Peter Fleming, 27; Jim Elliot, 28; Ed McCully, 28; Roger Youderian, 31, and Nate Saint, 32. These five missionaries went to the Ecuadorean rain forest to bring the good news of Jesus to the people there. They were killed by a group of Waodani tribesmen. Later, Mincayani, one of the tribesmen was converted and eventually Nate Saint’s son returned to the village where he becomes part of Mincayani’s family. Thank God for people who will go that far to bring the love of Jesus to others. It’s sometimes a long trip. But it’s an all-too-short trip compared with the journey of grace Jesus took in order to redeem us. 

Are you living in the shadows of shame? Do the mountains of fear loom between you and God? Have you walled off your heart to God’s peaceful presence? Is there a lie holding you captive from a life of true joy and purpose? 

There are two ways that chasm may be spanned. One is to give way to God’s love and believe in his mercy, forgiveness, and grace for you. Jesus has redeemed us and has now reconciled us in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present us holy and blameless and above reproach before God. Many who are reading this blog are living in that joy. But it could be that you are destined to be part of God’s continuing quest to bring the favor and blessing of God to others. 

You may know someone who is living in darkness, walled off from God, deceived by Satan’s lies. Might God be using you to kick down doors, shine the light of grace and truth, climb over mountains of excuses and rationalizations, to bring them to himself? This may be what you need most fully to enjoy the redemption won by Jesus.

It’s not a matter of getting to God’s grace; that’s already been given. But living fully from God’s grace is an adventure of faith that is also part of the journey of grace.

Wreckless Love