Only in Christ, We are Redeemed by Naya Carrillo
Lord Jesus, perhaps the purposive beauty derived from the pain of me not coming to you in mint condition, is that the extent and depths of Your rapturing love are displayed all the more. Perhaps it is that You value the very act of me trusting You with reckless abandon, bowing before You broken, radically reliant on Your power to mend and heal.
Like the Ultimate Artist that You are, I imagine You do not cringe at the sight of a disassembled heart, rather delight in the fact that its pieces are in Your possession to create it anew.
I believe You value that I would trust You enough to press past the ticking discomfort of exposure and the vulnerability of being undone in Your presence, to the point that I find solace hidden deep within it and desire to dwell with You forever.
I believe You value that unrefined and desolate, I would come with longing evident in mine eyes…hunger and thirst actively set that You can and You will satisfy and save my soul. Oh that I would come willingly to be molded…washed in Your Word, covered by Your blood, allowing You to select my garments, awaiting You to arm me in Your righteousness. All the while, You entrust to me the privilege to bear Your image and powerful name, and exalt me to the honor of perpetuating the light of Your sovereign legacy.
I believe You value desperation for the purpose of giving the advantage rather than to take advantage. Your conquest for glory from my life will never leave me dead and dry, but rather with rivers of living water flowing purely within me.
•
What does it mean to be a woman in Christ? A friend once gifted me a ceramic mug that read “A woman of faith is one who holds her heart open as God’s will unfolds, accepting his often-mysterious ways, and always offering thanks and praise.”
A vital component of God’s will for every man and woman is salvation so that we do not perish but instead are reconciled to Him. He has made a way for everyone who has been pricked in their heart by revelation of His majesty, and in regard to their sins against Him, have asked “what shall we do?” The answer lies in His Holy Word just as in the 1st Century; it is oh so relevant to us that “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:38-39, KJV).
The Bible beckons us to “follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14, KJV). However, often the promoted depiction of womanhood today is founded on a desire for power and access drawn from deceiving and luring men long enough to extract some superficial sense of self-worth; but in the end, all involved are left damaged, opposed to being healed and being made whole; thus having only furthered the human inherited trajectory toward hell.
Momentary gratification profits little; therefore, we ought all to soundly be convinced that Jesus Christ: Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, knows best, and whatever He says can certainly be trusted to produce everlasting life.
By: Naya Carrillo