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Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
Isaiah 43:1
“These babies, are YOUR babies.”
Those were the words from the instructor to my pregnant daughter and son-in-law. They were taking an online class for soon-to-be twin parents. The instructor lovingly encouraged parents to decide how they want to handle visitors, how they want to manage feeding and sleeping (or lack of), and how they will navigate trips to the doctor and grocery stores. The instructor made it clear that parents get to decide and she explained why, “These babies, are YOUR babies.”
As a parent of four kids, I have always found joy knowing that those children belong to Missy and me. They belong to the Lord, of course, but the Lord has entrusted me, and my wife to make our own decisions on how to raise them. My wife and I can say, “That child is mine.” Soon, my daughter and son-in-law will do the same. Their precious twin girls will be born and then claimed by and named by nobody else but their parents. Those girls contribute nothing, they just rely on the love and care of their mom and dad who get to do the claiming, the naming, the loving, and the providing.
So it is with us. Remarkably, our loving Lord does the same. Though we don’t deserve it, God chose us, claimed us as his very own and says, “You are mine.” He does the saving. We contribute nothing to our salvation. Professor Norman Nagel states, “Jesus gets all the good verbs.” The “doing” is all Jesus- he does the seeking and finding and saving.
From the manger to the cross, God proved his love for you and gives you life eternal. So fear not friends, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has redeemed you, called you by name and says, “YOU ARE MINE!”
See you Sunday- I can’t wait!
Pastor Austin
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