Thoughts on a Sunday

I've grew up going to church and yet until this past year, I never heard the answer to the question, "What is the Bible?"  I mean, I know what the Bible is, but if someone had ever asked me before, I would have stumbled on voicing the answer.  I like the simple explanation of, the Bible is the story of God's love worked out through the redemption of His people.  Plain as that.  

re·demp·tion

   [ri-demp-shuhn] 

noun

1.

an act of redeeming  or the state of being redeemed.

2.

deliverance; rescue.

3.

Theology . deliverance from sin; salvation.

4.

atonement for guilt.

5.

repurchase, as of something sold.

I looked around church this morning and for some reason, this truth struck me and made me all emotional.  God is still at work.  He is still redeeming the lives of those who love Him.  Church is full of people who have made big huge honking mistakes, people who are victims of other people's choices, people who have struggled with unhealthy habits, broken marriages, financial ruin.  And you know what?  God is redeeming these lives, making them beautiful once again.  I only know the stories of a fraction of people in that room this morning, and I see beauty from what was once ugliness.  Their stories are beautiful.  They show God's mercy, God's healing, God's love.  

I am so thankful to be a story of God's redeeming grace.