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7/28/2019 I Know That I Know: A Devotion
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I Know That I Know!
A Scribd DevotionByDon
Sometimes it just starts with a song. Especially a song that reminds me of
Scripture, of creation, ofGod and of How Great He Art! This time it was a
song written and sung by Nicole Mullins. When I heard it, I immediatelyknew what the next devotion would be. Even though I didnt immediately
know how the devotion and song would tie-in, I justknew that I knew.
And that iswhat this songs about. Titled I Know My Redeemer Lives, it
speaks of an assurance that God is our Redeemer and that our God lives
forever.
Here are the words to this song [Highlighted for the individual reader;
for groups, see the last page.]. Follow them as I share reflections and thenlater as you hear the song. My first response to hearing the song was that it
must have come from The Book of Job, when Job cited his assurance that his
Redeemer lived: Job 19:25 27 (The Living Bible) But as for me, I know
that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last. And I
know that after this body has decayed, this body shall see God! Then he will be
on my side! Yes, I shall see him, not as a stranger, but as a friend! What a
glorious hope!
But as I read through the other song verses, I found the Redeemerreference was moreover to Jesus, or perhaps to the Triune God, as we read
and hear theres an empty grave and He is the very same God that spins
things in orbit. This is the God Who consoles me each time I have despair
and Who brought and redeemed me from the depths where I stood before
becoming a believer.
Still, there is an important connection with Job and Gods conversation
that led God to remind Job of Who He Is: The song asks, Who taught the
sun where to stand?, Who told the ocean you can only come this far?,
Who showed the moon where to hide?, and Whose words alone can catch
a falling star?
Similarly convincing (or convicting in Jobs case!) questions from God to
Job are found in Job 38 (NAB), where God reminds Job of His omnipotence
and might, in an awesome way. Hear some of Gods questions:
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Verses 4 & 5 (NAB): Where were you when I founded the earth? Who
determined its size; do you know? Who stretched out the measuring line for
it?
Verses 8 11 (NIV): 8Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth
from the womb, 9when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick
darkness, 10when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, 11whenI said, This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves
halt? 12Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its
place, ?
Verses 18 20: Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell me,
if you know all: Which is the way to the dwelling place of light, and where is
the abode of darkness, That you may take them to their boundaries and set
them on their homeward paths?
Verses 24 & 28 30 (The Message): 24Can you find your way to where
lightning is launched, or to the place from which the wind blows? 28And whodo you think is the father of rain and dew, 29the mother of ice and frost? 30Youdont for a minute imagine these marvels of weather just happen, do you?
Verses 39 40: 39Can you teach the lioness to stalk her prey and satisfy the
appetite of her cubs 40As they crouch in their den, waiting hungrily in their
cave?
In the end (Chapter 42), Job concluded God was God and he wasnt! My
good friend told me of her friend whose husband used to ask her when God
appointed her CEO of the universe.because she always felt her strength
was needed to get things done. Perhaps Dick Woodwards Im not, but He is!
helped her get it right. In Chapter 42, Job says in Verses 2 6: I know that
you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered. I have
dealt with great things that I do not understand; things too wonderful for me,
which I cannot know. I had heard of you by word of mouth, but now my eye
has seen you. Therefore I disown what I have said, and repent in dust and
ashes.
But how do you really know Jesus is our Redeemer? you ask.
I wondered about the meaning ofRedeemerso I looked it up. One
dictionary said, One who buys back or recovers ownership by paying a
specific sum. Eatons Bible Dictionarysays, One charged with the duty of
restoring the rights of another and avenging his wrongs. This title is
peculiarly applied to Christ, as He redeems us from all evil by the payment
of a ransom. The word Redeemeris found in the Bible 17 20 times,
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depending on the translation, with almost all of those being in the Old
Testament. And while most of these Old Testament references (in Psalms,
Proverbs, Isaiah & Jeremiah) are either by God or about God as Israels
Redeemer, the Redeemer of this song is the God of the Old & New
Testament: the God of today, Who lives!
Psalm 103: 2 5 (The Message) tell us, O my soul, bless God, dont forget a
single blessing! He forgives your sinsevery one. He heals your diseases
every one.
He redeems you from hellsaves your life! He crowns you with love and
mercya paradise crown. He wraps you in goodnessbeauty eternal. He
renews your youthyoure always young in his presence. Wow, thats quite
a redeeming!
One source pointed out that the need for a Redeemer began with the fallof man, after which God promised us a Redeemer. This commentary says
God performed the first sacrifice of animals to provide their skins for Adam
and Eve, referring to the garments of skin God made for them, and
referencing Gen 3:21. Mark 10:45 tells us Jesus was that Redeemer, when
it says, For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and
to give his life as a ransom for many.
Hear Colossians 1:13 & 14 (NAB), which says, Hedelivered us from the
power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, inwhom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And in Titus 2:11-14 we
see, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It
teaches us to sayNoto ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self
controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the
blessed hopethe glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus
Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to
purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
WikiAnswers, from the Internet, has it right in this definition ofKinsman
Redeemer, stating, It is when a persons relative pays a debt that the person
is unable to pay. Jesus is called our kinsman redeemer, because He came to
the earth in the form of a man (thus relatedto us) & paid the price for our
debt of sin, a price we could not pay. The law requires that a sinner be
punished by death for their sins. The Bible says All have sinned & come
short of the Glory of God. In other words, we are all sinners and have not
been able to lay hold on Gods glory. Jesus being sinless died in our place to
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redeem us from hell. You aren't a recipient of His payment until you are
saved. Read the book of Ruth in the King James Bible to see an account of a
kinsman redeemer on the physical level. Read in the New Testament to
see it in a spiritual sense . [End of Wiki definition] Way to go, Wiki!
Nicoles knowing clearly has not only to do with Gods being ourRedeemer, but also thatHe lives, and is evident in our creation. Dr. Francis
Collins, former head of the Human Genome Project and now Director of the
NIH, explains how he knowsGod lives in his book,The Language of God: A
Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, in which he says he considers scientific
discoveries an "opportunity to worship." Collins examines and
subsequently rejectscreationismandintelligent design, saying if your mind
is open about whether God might exist, you can point to aspects of the
universe that are consistent with that conclusion.
In a later interview, Dr. Collins said As a believer, I see DNA, the
information molecule of all living things, as God's language, and the
elegance and complexity of our own bodies and the rest of nature as a
reflection of God's plan. For me, that leap came in my 27th year, after a
search to learn more about God's character led me to the person of Jesus
Christ. Here was a person with remarkably strong historical evidence of his
life, who made astounding statements about loving your neighbor, and
whose claims about being God's son seemed to demand a decision about
whether he was deluded or the real thing. After resisting for nearly twoyears, I found it impossible to go on living in such a state of uncertainty, and
I became a follower of Jesus. Then Dr. Collins concluded with, I have
found there is a wonderful harmony in the complementary truths of science
and faith. The God of the Bible is also the God of the genome. God can be
found in the cathedral or in the laboratory. By investigating God's majestic
and awesome creation, science can actually be a means of worship. So in
essence, Dr. Collins is saying what Nicole says: All creation testifies! To
bring back a phrase Ive previously used: He surrounds, abounds and
astounds!
But for some of us that life within us testifying is simply our faith. We
justknow that we know. Hebrews 11:1-3 (NAB) speaks of this when it says,
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested. By faith we understand that the
universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into
being through the invisible. Said another way, in The Message, faith is, The
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Language_of_God:_A_Scientist_Presents_Evidence_for_Beliefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Language_of_God:_A_Scientist_Presents_Evidence_for_Beliefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Language_of_God:_A_Scientist_Presents_Evidence_for_Beliefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Language_of_God:_A_Scientist_Presents_Evidence_for_Beliefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creationismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creationismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creationismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creationismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Language_of_God:_A_Scientist_Presents_Evidence_for_Beliefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Language_of_God:_A_Scientist_Presents_Evidence_for_Belief7/28/2019 I Know That I Know: A Devotion
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fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm
foundation under everything that makes life worth living. Its our handle on
what we cant see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set
them above the crowd. By faith, we see the world called into existence by Gods
word, what we see created by what we dont see.
When Nicole sings of Him running to the weary, I think of Isaiah 40:31
(NIV), and Ill bet she did, too. 28Do you not know? Have you not heard? The
LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not
grow tired orweary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29He gives
strength to the wearyand increases the power of the weak. 30Even youths
grow tired andweary, and young men stumble and fall; 31but those who hope
in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not growweary, they will walk and not be faint.
The same gentle hands that hold me when Im broken. From Scripture,
we knowgentle is an attribute of God. (Matthew 11:28 30 NIV: 28Come to
me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my
yoke upon you and learn from me, for I amgentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is
light.) and we also learn it is an attribute He desires of us, as told to us in 2
Timothy 2:24 25a: A slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be
gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant, 25correcting opponents with
kindness. Then in 1 Peter 3:4 (NAB):4
but rather the hidden character ofthe heart, expressed in the imperishable beauty of a gentle and calm
disposition, which is precious in the sight of God. (For more evidence on
this, see my earlier devotion on Gentle Instructions.) What visual do you
have when you think of gentle? [Wait for answers.] Maybe a mother or
father holding their newborn baby? Or the touch of Mother Theresa as she
cares for a beggar?
They conquered death to bring me victory.
1 Corinthians 15:54b 57 says, Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, Odeath, is yourvictory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is
sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the
victorythrough our Lord Jesus Christ. And our victory is not just to survive
but, rather, to thrive. The Bible has a running theme of choosing life over
death. We should be reminded of this whenever we have a choice (i.e., a
decision), and also be reminded that Jesus came to give us life abundantly.
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John 10:10b (NAB) is I came so that they might have life and have it more
abundantly. We can live a victorious life when we choose What (i.e.,
Who) gives life!
And the further good news is that through our faith, we get to play a role
in that victory. 1 John 5:3-5 For the love of God is this, that we keep hiscommandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is
begotten by God conquers the world. And the victorythat conquers the world
is our faith. Who (indeed) is the victorover the world but the one who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
He lives to take away my shame. This is a profound statement Nicole
makes, that Jesus lives for us, to take away our shame. Good thing she can
back it up with Scripture!
Romans 10:9-13 9for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord andbelieve in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved. 10For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses
with the mouth and so is saved. 11For the scripture says, No one who believes
in him will be put toshame. 12For there is no distinction between Jew and
Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him. 13For
everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Philippians 1:20 My eager expectation and hope is that I shall not be put to
shame in any way, but that with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be
magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me life is Christ,
and death is gain.
And 1 John 2:28-29 And now, children, remain in him, so that when he
appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his
coming. 29If you consider that he is righteous, you also know that everyone
who acts in righteousness is begotten by him.
I ask this for you to consider, but not to answer for others: How has God
redeemed a situation where you were saved from being shamed maybewhen you had fallen short?
ForeverIll proclaim. This statement tells me we will proclaim God now
and forever, into eternity! Forever? Really? Lets see what the Bible says
about that!
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Well, John 6:51 (NIV) tell us we will live forever, if we just believe in Jesus.51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this
bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life
of the world."
1 Thessalonians 4:17 (NIV) makes it even better, saying we will live with
Him forever: 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught uptogether with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be
with the Lordforever.
2 Peter 3:18 (NIV) tells us to give Him glory both now and forever: 18But
grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him
be glory both now andforever! Amen.
And 2 John 1:2 (NIV) states we will live forever and He will be with us
forever because He, the Truth, lives in us and will forever! 2because of the
truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever
The payment for my sins was the precious life He gave. This phrase is
used only once in the song, but is arguably the most important phrase
and an understatement, to boot! Precious is defined as of high worth or
cost. As I write this, Im lacking a word that fully describes what Jesus did
for us. That may be a word that is only found in the dictionary we read in
heaven.
But His payment for our sins is shown to us in Scripture and here are four
references:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the
holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your
own? 20For you have been purchased at a price.
1 Peter 1:17b-21 (The Message) Your life is a journey you must travel with
a deep consciousness of God. 18ItcostGod plenty to get you out of that dead-
end, empty-headed life you grew up in. 19Hepaidwith Christs sacred blood,
you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. 20And this was no
afterthought. Even though it has only latelyat the end of the agesbecomepublic knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. 21Its
because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and
glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.
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Hebrews 9:12 (The Message) 12He also bypassed the sacrifices consisting of
goat and calf blood, instead using his own blood as theprice to set us free
once and for all.
AMEN!
1 John 2:2 (KJV) He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only forours but also forthe sins of the whole world.
But now Hes aliveand theres an empty grave
Nicoles reference to alive may bring to mind Acts 1:3 He presented himself
alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during
forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
And we learn of the empty grave in John 20:1 9 (The Message), 1Early
on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went tothe tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she
came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and
said, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, andwe dont know where
they have put him! 3So Peter and the other disciple started for the
tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the
tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did
not go in. 6Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the
tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the burial cloth thathad been around Jesus head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from
the linen. 8Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also wentinside. He saw and believed9(They still did not understand from Scripture that
Jesus had to rise from the dead.).
Appropriately, Nicole then ends with Im going to tell everybody! And
thats our application! To go tell the world!
All-in-all, this song is a powerful message, given with reminders of Gods
omnipotence and majesty, of what He did for us and is still doing in our
lives, .and of the devotional application of letting others know that weknow that we know. Be encouraged as you now listen to Nicolle singing this
song of devotion to God.
[Play song]
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Nicole C. Mullins, My Redeemer Lives lyrics
Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning?
And who told the ocean you can only come this far?
And who showed the moon where to hide till evening?
Whose words alone can catch a falling star?
Chorus:Well I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
All of creation testifies
This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives
Ye-e-eah
The very same God
That spins things in orbit
Runs to the weary, the worn and the weak
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken
They conquered death to bring me victory
Now I know, my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life within me cry
I-I-I know, My Redeemer
He lives, To take away my shame
And He lives, Forever I'll proclaim
That the payment for my sins
Was the precious life He gaveAnd now He's alive and
There's an empty Grave!
And I know My Redeemer lives He lives
I know My Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life within me cry
I-I-I know my Redeemer
I know, My Redeemer lives
*I know my Redeemer lives*
*I know, That I know, that I know, that I know, that I know
He lives *my redeemer lives*
*Because He lives I can face tomorrow
He lives *I know, I know* He lives
*I spoke with Him this morning!*
He lives *The tomb is empty* He lives
*He Lives! I'm going to tell everybody!!*