We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins and trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.  Ephesians 1:7-8 HCSB

Redemption is defined as gaining or regaining possession of something in exchange for payment. Could you imagine paying for something and being unable to take possession of it?

When I was in college, I decided that I wanted a Palamino. If you are unfamiliar with the breed, they are usually blonde or golden in color with a mane that tends to be white. Roy Roger’s horse, Trigger, was a Palamino. I was very specific about the color I wanted. I wanted it to be a deep golden color with a white mane. Some have something called dappling or white spots. Some have a lighter color. Muscle structure, gait and gentleness were also important. My dad and I searched for months for the perfect Palamino. One day when I got home from work, he surprised me. He had found the perfect Palamino. We discovered soon after, there was one little problem. She was pregnant and we had no idea what type of horse had sired the colt. In due time, she gave birth to a beautiful Appaloosa colt. He was deep brown with very distinctive white spotting on his hind quarters.

There was a problem, I am not a fan of Appaloosa’s. In my experience, the Appaloosas I had dealt with had been high-spirited, stubborn and just generally hard to deal with. This colt was beautiful, but he behaved like an Appaloosa.

He was very attached to his mother in his early months, so I tried not to separate them. When I tried to saddle her, he was just not having it. I threw the blanket on her back and he grabbed it with his teeth and took off across the field. I had to hold the blanket and the saddle, placing the blanket on first and then tossing the saddle. He then tried to grab both. I had to hold them tightly and try to secure the girth with the other hand. Once I finally got her saddled, he grabbed at the blanket and saddle the whole time I was trying to mount and ride her. She seemed unbothered by his behavior, but I was not happy.

A relative saw him and just had to have him. We negotiated a price and he happily handed over the money. What he didn’t realize is how difficult it would be to load this 6 month old colt onto a trailer. He tried to establish a relationship with the colt. He took off his baseball cap and put some feed in it. The colt eagerly came to him and began to eat the feed, but before he could touch the colt, the colt grabbed the hat and took off. It took him several weeks of daily contact to gain this colt’s trust and get a halter on him. He finally got him into a trailer and off they went. I ran into this relative several weeks later and expected him to ask if he could return the horse and get his money back. Instead, he said that this was the best horse he had ever owned. He said that it had taken a lot of work, but this horse now came to him whenever he went outside. They had a good relationship. The horse trusted him to take good care of it and it was loyal to him.

Our relationship with God is a lot like that. He has paid the price for us. He sent His son to die on the cross so that we can be forgiven of our sins. Jesus’ blood redeemed us. But we have to accept Him. We have to be willing to enter into that trusting relationship with Him. When we trust Him to do what is best for us, we want to obey Him.

I lived many years of my life like that Appaloosa colt. I was partying and having a good time and doing everything my way. But when I realized the price that God had paid for me, I realized how much He loved me. I realized that I belonged to Him and this was a good thing.

We like to say that we are our own person. We pride ourselves on our independence, but who are we kidding? We belong to God whether we accept that or not. He gives us free will to live as we choose, but ultimately He will decide where we spend eternity based on whether we accept the salvation He offers or reject it.

Be very careful because we are told that if we follow the ways of the devil, He will give us over (Romans 1:24) to our evil ways. You don’t want to be in the devil’s possession, trust me.

If you are tired of trying to do it all on your own, submit to Him. Surrender to Him. He will take good care of you.

Have a great day!