Corrie ten Boom, Dutch evangelist who survived the horrors of Nazi Germany once wrote, "Yesterday is a cancelled check, today is cash, and tomorrow is a promissory note to them that accept the victory of Jesus."
One of the big troubles Christians have is understanding forgiveness and redemption. Forgiveness is erasing past sins; redemption is repayment of the debt of our sin. Mankind is often able to accept forgiveness but not always able to accept redemption.
A man once approached Corrie ten Boom and said he believed he could be forgiven but not redeemed. "The consequences of my sin cannot be erased," he said. He told of how he had fathered a child in his youth and how the living child and the memory of his sin would remain with him forever, thus never allowing him to be redeemed.
Corrie then gave him an interesting explanation: "Jesus does not patch things up in our lives, but He does renew us." If this man would ask Jesus to go back with him to that dark spot in his life, He will change its darkness into light. That was His purpose in coming to us. He delivers us from all sin. Isaiah said instead of a curse, there will be a blessing for all who trust in God for redemption.
She went on asking, "Do you understand that? Of course you don't!" These concepts may be confusing, but they are true. We will only understand God's redemption fully when we are in heaven and have new minds. But for now we can understand these things only by faith. Whoever accepts Jesus as the victor over the past, present and future, will see the dark spots in your life changed into blessings.
The devil wants us to dwell on the dark side, and to doubt God can really change and redeem us. The devil may be more powerful than we are, but remember: Jesus is more powerful than the devil. If we belong to Jesus, we are on the winning side in this great and very real struggle in the world. (Thank you, Corrie, for this insight.)
Do you understand this? Of course you don't! But one day, God willing, you will...
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