The Book of Revelation speaks of a remnant people saved by Jesus out of a great last day conflict. The word “remnant” is defined as scraps, fragments, leftovers. When I was younger I never left anything on my plate. My mother taught me to eat everything. Now that she is not here to watch me and that my appetite is not like that of a growing boy, I often leave quite a bit on my plate. Instead of pushups I do pushaways. My leftovers become the remnant and are tossed in a dumpster. And so it is interesting that God describes His people as remnant. They aren’t much to look at. They aren’t particularly desirable; that is to anyone but Him. He wants them even if they have already been dumped. The best way to describe this is God is a dumpster diver. He digs around in the scrap heap of humanity and comes up with an interesting group He calls His children.
The Gospel is a wonderful story of rescue and redemption. Because our scope is so limited we sometimes fall into error thinking we are really something special. And I guess we are. However, our specialness has nothing to do with our merit. It has everything to do with a loving Heavenly Father, who according to Hebrews, “saves to the uttermost.” The Gospel is an intriguing story not only of our being pulled from the dumpster and washed up, but of our becoming temples. We become His dwelling place. This is better than PBS’s Antique Road Show, where people drag stuff out of their attics and have it appraised for major money. We are dragged from the dumpster and become princes and princesses of the universe. Rags to riches is what the Good News is all about.
Written by Roger Bothwell on June 20, 2014
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