Jesus Redeems You According to His Plan
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. Ephesians 1.7-10
The world is full of variables. There are a multitude of outside forces that have affect on the way that your life plays out: other drivers on the road, a worldwide pandemic, or even politicians. This multitude of parts in flux can lead you to believe that it is all chaos; that there is no plan.
This is true in your physical life, but it is just as true in your faith. There are so many conversations, experiences, and perspectives that lead you to believe what you do. It would be easy to put the weight of faith on these things. To trust that faith comes from seeing, experiencing, and reason.
The Bible claims otherwise. God tells us that the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in ALL wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will. In other words, the faith by which we are redeemed is given to us by God. And this is the great mystery: Jesus Christ lived the perfect life and died in our place in order to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Redemption, the great trade of our life for His (our sin for His atoning sacrifice), is not IN ANY WAY dependent on us. If this is true, then Jesus did not redeem us to help us write our story. Instead, we are part of His story; a piece of His purpose and plan. Salvation has more to do with His glory than it does with our happiness.
Yet … God created a plan that would bring us great benefit. In His love, He made a system that would be our ultimate joy, so that it would continually humble and amaze us with His greatness.