I’m just finishing up the first week of homework from Jennifer Rothschild’s Fingerprints of God, and the last day was just so good that I need to blog about it so I can find it and reference it again when I need it.
We’ve been exploring that God’s fingerprints are all over us through His creation of us. In the garden, He gave us authority and dominion over the earth. With sin we gave away the glory and authority God had given to us as His beloved creation. In return we received death and allowed Satan to use our defaulted authority to attempt to counterfeit God’s authority over the earth.
We were helpless to regain our lost position, glory and authority. The only price to be paid was death. From this, our insecurities and loss of sense of value and worth spring forth. Only the original giver of the authority, the Father Himself, could reclaim that authority. Because He is just, the price must still be paid, if not with our deaths, then someone of even more worth.
So, at the cross the price was paid. When Jesus said “It is finished” and the angel declared “He is not here, He is risen!” the price was paid and the authority and glory reclaimed. We were bought, redeemed and purchased with His very own blood. We must now simply choose to receive our place of authority again.
A couple of things come to mind when I ponder the significance of this. When I feel unimportant, insignificant or unloved, I have lost sight of the cross. God could have easily said “Let her die”, but He placed too high of a value on me to let that happen. The life of His Own Son was not too high a price to pay for me, just simple little me. When I throw myself a pity party in the future, I want to remember to come here and read this again. I must have great value to be worth such a great cost.
Second, we often take comfort in that “someday” Satan will finally be vanquished and banished to the fiery lake forever. But we let ourselves be confused that until then Satan is still in charge. Oh no, not so. At the cross it was paid, it was finished, including Satan’s rule. Any rule he currently enjoys is only that which we have ceded to him. At the cross all authority is returned to us, through the authority given to Jesus and the power in the fulfilling price of His shed blood. When we reclaim that power, Satan is subject to us. He only wins when we let him. That doesn’t mean it is always easy. Yes, he is sly and crafty and deceptive. Lies are his native language. So, we simply sharpen our swords (know the Word of God), use them to discern truth, claim our position, and cut down in his tracks. We don’t have to wait until “someday” for the victory, it is already ours right now.
I can’t help but praise such a loving God, who has such a perfect plan for our benefit. To borrow a line from my son, Wow God, just wow!
Choose Joy!
