Compensation
One definition of the word redeemed is to compensate for the faults or bad aspects of something.
To compensate is to counterbalance or offer the opposite energy of an unwelcomed or unpleasant situation.
We know that God has redeemed us and more than compensated for our sins when Jesus sacrificed Himself in our defense.
God gave us undeserved and unconditional grace, love, and mercy when we behaved the opposite way God intended.
God also compensated us for life's suffering by showing us his loving kindness and surrounding us with his protection and blessed assurance that someday, we will be with Him in paradise.
It is our turn to bring God's opposite energy into the world to compensate for some of the yuck around us.
I'm compelled to write a list of ways to improve the world, like volunteering or donating to a non-profit.
But you know all that stuff already.
What if we dug deeper and found ways to bring catastrophic compensation and brought that devil to his knees by decimating his plans to destroy us?
I keep thinking about the words and actions of Jesus and how He walked around loving and healing the world's sinful, lost, forgotten, discarded, and lonely people.
His mission was to counterbalance the way the world was behaving.
Back in the days of Jesus, He had to fight against greed, malice, deception, dissension, division, contempt, and superiority complexes.
Thank goodness we don't have to deal with those things anymore.
Oh, wait. Ugh.
Still? Really?
I have an idea.
Let's think of ourselves as God's HR (Human Resources) Department specializing in Compensation and Benefits.
We have gifts, skills, and God-given missions to make the world a better place.
With every person we interact with, we can bring love, grace, and kindness to compensate for the pain they may be experiencing in their lives.
We can look and listen for ways to engage in the world to protect one another and not let fear and judgment override the benefits of mercy and support.
We can sit with those we see who are hurt, lost, and alone and bring them the benefits of God's love that changed our lives.
God didn't redeem us just for our own good; He did it for the good of the world.
God hasn't gone into hiding; He is alive and well, and the benefits and compensation of His miraculous love are ready to be activated.
And you, my redeemed friend, are the key to that activation.
Are you ready to accept the HR position?
If it helps, I could make some bedazzled nametags with fancy fonts.
Just let me know if you want one.
__________________ Human Resources - Compensation and Benefits
insert your name
Matthew 5: 14-16
"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
John 13: 34-35
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.