Redemption is logical

It is common to hear people say 'WHY should God love ME?' It is as if they consider themselves very inconsequential and not worth his consideration. (Or too sinful or too unfaithful?)

But think about the word 'redeem'. It means to buy back that which once belonged to you.
My Uncle Norman played solo cornet in the NZ 4th Brigade Band in the 2nd World War. He was a great player, and he loved his cornet. But during the war he lost it. It happened when the Germans invaded Crete and the band just escaped with their lives, but had to leave all their instruments behind.
But wait, there's more! A few years later, after the war, he was in Cairo, Egypt. And in a 2nd hand shop he saw a cornet for sale. It looked very familiar, so he went inside to see. Would you believe it, it was HIS!  It has engravings on that marked it out as his! So he paid the price, and bought it, and took it home. I have seen it myself.

Jesus is 'our Redeemer' - the one who buys back those that once belonged to God and then got lost. If we think in terms of the whole human race (and not just us as individuals) we belonged to God - as all of us were in Adam. We were designed and planned and created to be his. He wanted a family, and so he created mankind. But then we got lost. And Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He told stories of the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost sons. All belonged before they got lost and later were found again.
Jesus has bought us back, to make the way for us to come home to our Father. Hebrews 2:10 talks about Jesus 'bringing many sons to glory'.

So redemption is quite logical. We were his in the first place. We came from him, we are not our own by the fact of Creation and his initial 'Fathering' of the human race. Through Jesus' death we are not our own twice over... because we have been bought back with a great price.

Of course he loves us because he created us and formed us FOR HIMSELF (not for ourselves) in the first place. And of course he loves us so very much that he sent Jesus to bring us home again. It is not about 'am I worthy/good enough/significant enough' at all! That is presumptious, if you think about it. It is about his heart, his plans, his intentions, his longings... to have us as his children for ever. When we 'get' this it changes everything. Our eyes lift to him, off ourselves, and we can enjoy his love and devotion to us and his incredible sacrifice to bring us home.

It also changes how we view our 'mistakes,' our wandering, our failings. They can NEVER, NEVER, NEVER disqualify us from being his. We are his twice over. How will our 'paid for' sins cancel this out?
It is not logical or even sensible to think like this. Only our enemy wants to keep robbing us by causing us to doubt that we are lavishly loved, and delightedly accepted by our Abba!

When Jesus was warning Peter that he would deny him he said some interesting things. (Luke 22:31) "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat."  Note that he addresses Peter with his old name Simon. He has not yet become 'the Rock'. Notice also that Satan asked... got permission to test Peter. An interesting thought.
 "But I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail." Wow! Why didn't he pray he would not deny him? Jesus prayed that his faith in Jesus, his faith in the Lord's love and acceptance of him, would not fail. That he would not walk away in despair of himself and his failure.
"And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." This wonderful sentence shows Jesus' confidence that Peter WILL turn back - which is what repentance means (surely Jesus' prayers will be answered!) - and that he will have a role to play in the events ahead.

If Jesus did this for Peter - do you not think he is now (at the right hand of the Father) still praying for us that our faith in his goodness and our belonging to him will not fail? I have no doubt whatsoever that he is.

So let us stop filling our minds with such talk of 'Why me?' or 'How can he forgive me again?' Let's get the right picture of who we are to the Father, and how great is our salvation. The price that was paid for us settles forever the question of what we mean to God. We are made strong and resilient by delighting in this... not questioning it over and over.