March 8th

Psalm 107:2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble

I like this translation (ESV) of this verse because it is simple: Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! – try it: “I am redeemed!”

NIV says it this way:

Psalm 107:2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe

When it comes to being disciples making disciples this is important, don’t be afraid to tell your story, your story of redemption and rescue. People want to hear about redemption, they NEED to hear about it. When you see the people around you in trouble or hard times, your story can give them real life hope! Not that you turn the situation and make it all about you, but you can pull from your story to give real life examples of rescue and redemption for them to identify with and this can lead to sharing the Truth of Jesus with them.

It may be hard to know what verses will minister to them, that is why we follow the Holy Spirit’s leading, but it is easy to tell what verses ministered to us in our hard times. It would be worthwhile to write out your story and include the verses that minister to you. Not that you will hand them the written version, but several things happen when you write it out. First, it is good practice to get the important details down and know which details are not important to include (you may have limited time to share your story, so you want a condensed version that gets to the point.) Second, it will get the verses into your memory for easy retrieval later. Third, when you write your story down and tell how the Lord rescued and redeemed you, you will learn some things. The Holy Spirit will teach you some things about yourself, your story, and about Himself. Some things that may have been blurry before may become more clear to you. The Holy Spirit will help you make connections you hadn’t made before and help you identify spiritual growth that you may not have realized you have experienced.

The bottom-line is that writing out your story will help you to be ready to share it at any moment and that is important! You may need to be able to share it quickly in the checkout line, or at the carwash or on a walk in the neighborhood. Whatever the case, you may need to be able to share a condensed version in 5 or 10 minutes that you can elaborate on at a later time.

1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect

When someone shares with you about their own life it will help you narrow down what part of your story you need to zero in on telling them at that time so that they can identify with you and become interested in the solution to the situation. This week let’s be sure to spend some time at least taking some notes about our story even if we don’t take time to write it out long hand. Be sure to find the verses that minister to you the most.

Jesus, thank you for rescuing and redeeming me. Help me to organize my thoughts about my redemption story and the scriptures that go with it. Show me about my own healing and about your hand in my story even in the places and times when I didn’t see it before. Thank you for being with me and working in me even when I didn’t realize it! Help me to boldly share my redemption story with others.