Peace from Shame
December 9, 2020
| “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43:2 The King of Kings and Lord of Lords was born in scandal. The rumors certainly ran rampant when Mary was discovered to be pregnant before she and Joseph were married. From the moment the of His conception, Jesus was taking on our shame. He carried it all the way to the cross, “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2). God has such a deep love for us that He despises the shame you and I feel. He despises the sin that we fall into. He despises the things that have been done to us that have left us feeling broken and damaged. When Jesus came to save us, He took that shame on Himself on the cross, that we can be set free and rest in His mercy and grace. Shame can lead us to such a dark and lonely place. It causes fear as we seek to cover our own nakedness and hide from God. Yet God continues to love us and seek us in spite of our shame, just as He did from the beginning when He found Adam and Eve hiding in the garden after sin entered the world for the very first time. The Lord knew their sin, He sought them out, and He clothed them. (Genesis 3). That continues today, as we sin and our inclination is to run and hide in shame, God seeks us out, and He clothes us in His righteousness. We can find peace in our shame knowing that we are dearly loved and chosen by God. Our sins are forgiven and the Lord has put shame to death on the cross. Shame can make us feel unwanted, unloved, and undeserving. But we need to know that we are treasured by God, He reaches beyond our shame and claims us as His own. Read through these verses today and see how precious you are to God: But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” (Isaiah 43:1-7) |
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