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March 24, 2009
The Great Exchange
God's Provision for Our Peace! |
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Greetings!
This past weekend, I met with a friend going through "troubled waters" and shared the hope and peace Jesus provides. My friend vented the pain, shame and guilt in his heart and his frustration with the human experience. As we talked together, I couldn't help but think about the "great exchange" God has enabled for all of us through the power of the cross and the blood of Jesus.
The sacrificial life and death of Jesus is the foundation for our freedom and faith. Without the cross, there is no Calvary, there is no freedom, and there is no "life". Through the cross, Jesus purchased more than our hearts can ascertain on this side of heaven. Through the cross, Jesus paid the price for a great exchange to occur. In this exchange, we come, tattered and weary, to our Savior and King and exchange our burdens for His victory.
It was amazing to watch the countenance of my friend change as he experienced the "great exchange". We simply met with Jesus and through that process the pain, shame and guilt were washed away. In the wake of the flood of the love of God remained healing, strength and joy! What a wonderful Savior and what a great exchange! |
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The Invitation to the Great Exchange
"Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord, "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
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"Reasoning" with God
The initial step in the "great exchange" is the forgiveness of sin. In Isaiah 1:16-18, God instructs Israel to get clean, stop doing evil, learn to do good, and to reason with Him. This prophetic message was a foreshadowing of the atoning work Jesus accomplished on the cross. It was a "sneak peek" into the things to come detailing the benefits of the cross and the sacrifice of Jesus. Isaiah 1:16-18 remains a true model of how we access the "great exchange".
It is during the times we sit and "reason" with God that the "great exchange" occurs. In these meetings, we sit with God and share our hearts, concerns and affection. In turn, God shares His concerns, heart and affection. This is the "great exchange" ... the ability to meet and reason with God and receive His heart, His thoughts, His perspective, and His love.
Later in the Book of Isaiah, the prophet further details the benefits of the "great exchange". In Isaiah Chapter 61, God promises to exchange "healing for the brokenhearted", "liberty for captives", "freedom for the bound", "comfort for the mourning", and "the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness". What a great exchange! We come to Jesus, we seek forgiveness, we "reason" and share our burdens and God exchanges our pain for His peace! Amazing!
Friend, don't let anything in this world hold you down. There is freedom, peace, love and joy found in the "great exchange". Run to God ...Reason with God. Tell Him how you feel and what you are thinking and get the burdens of this world off your shoulders and onto His. He will exchange your heaviness for His peace ... that's what He came to do! The "great exchange" is yours for the asking. Ask, Seek and Knock and God will open the door of His heart and accomplish in you His purposes and plan.
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For King and Kingdom,
Randy Martin |
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