Redemptive Value and Divine Exchange

There are rich of blessings for all who avail themselves of God's divine exchanges.  These exchanges must be done intentionally in faith according to God's Word.  I have continued to consider something spoken about in the sermon yesterday at Calvary Chapel Sydney, the fact God has placed redemptive value upon our sorrow, mourning, pain, and depression.  When we commit them to God in faith, He gives us a wonderful blessing in exchange.

God never promised to keep Christians from pain and sorrow in this life on earth.  In fact, Jesus promised in this world we will have tribulation.  We will all face consequences from sin in this world, and our experiences can be bitter indeed.  Though God does not insulate us from sorrow and pain, we are invited to be those who are casting our cares upon Him because He cares for us.  He has not promised to still every storm, but He offers us peace, comfort, and solace in the storm.  Our role is to admit our pain and weakness in humility, and entrust our life, well-being, and our future to Him.

Because recycling yards were conveniently located in my suburb when I lived in San Diego, I would save aluminium cans, plastic containers, and copper scraps to exchange for cash.  The redemption value was clearly marked on the sides of soda cans and bottles.  I would collect these containers until I had a couple bags full of crushed cans and then bring them to the recycling yard to redeem them.  As long as they sat in the corner of my garage they had not been redeemed.  There was cash value in those cans only realised after I loaded them into my truck, drove to the recycling center, separated them, and rolled the carts to the scale for weighing.  At that moment I gave them to the attendant, they were no longer mine.  It was a bit of work, but walking away with money instead of those stinky, sticky cans was well worth it!

Consider the divine exchange God has promised us through the Messiah Jesus Christ in Isaiah 61:1-3:  "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ² to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, ³ to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."  Before we are born again, the Bible says we are spiritually dead in sins.  We are bound in iniquity, awaiting judgment and everlasting punishment.  If we confess our sins in humble repentance, trusting in Jesus, we are born again through Jesus.  Our deadness is exchanged for eternal life, and confinement in sin and death is exchanged for freedom and eternal glory.  But that is not the end of the exchanges God offers!

Our hearts of stone can be exchanged for one of tender flesh.  Our blind eyes are exchanged for spiritual perception.  There is great redemptive value in mourning, depression, even our ashes.  Imagine that!  When your best efforts are turned to ash, we can take our failures to God and He will redeem them with unfading beauty.  Are you sorrowful or in mourning?  In exchange God offers comfort and consolation.  Is your heart heavy and laid low through depression?  God will provide in exchange the oil of joy and the garment of praise.  God will not force these exchanges upon us.  We must admit our need, confess our unbelief and lack of faith, and exercise faith in bringing each of our cares, worries, and sorrows to Christ.  When we are willing to part with those things forever and entrust them into His capable, loving hands, then we will receive the consolation.

Don't store up sorrows, pains, worries, guilt, and sadness when God has assigned great redemptive value to each one.  Bring them to the cross, casting your cares upon Jesus.  Once made, you will never regret this divine exchange.  No one has ever thought, "Oh, what I would give to have those cans back again!  To possess those old crusty, smelly milk cartons would be far better than what I received for them.  I used to have quite a collection built up, complete with ant trails."  As long as we live on earth, these exchanges will need to be done as we embrace our sanctification.  Cans pile up, milk continues to be consumed.  The dark corners of our garages and hiding places in rubbish bins start to accumulate.  It is time to cash in on the redemptive value of your cares for God's glory.  Let us avail ourselves of God's divine exchanges, for their value is greater than gold!