Confident in Knowing
God
I am not in the least inferior to the
“super-apostles even though I am nothing.
2
Corinthians 12:11
How humble are
you? Are you someone who is comfortable inside his own skin and confident in
his position as a child of God, a person who teaches what they have learned but
is still open to correction or differing points of view?
How valuable are
you to God? “you are worth more than many sparrows” Matthew 10:31 God knows you
and cares even more for you than he does each sparrow.
How do you see your self-worth? If our sense
of self-worth is derived from God, we don’t have to worry about what the world
thinks of us or does to us. The fact that God sent his Son to die for us should
be an overwhelming affirmation of the worth of each individual. But the problem
comes when we measure ourselves by the world’s standards and rely on our own
efforts to measure up. With a healthy faith we stay focused on God and the
value he has given each of us. A person with a healthy faith feels valuable to
the Creator because he or she is valuable to the Creator.
Why should we
feel we have value?
1)
Because we have been invited to come into God’s
presence and kneel before his very throne (Hebrews 4:16)
2)
Because he has named us as fellow citizens of heaven
along with the saints and members of God’s own family (Ephesians 2:19-20)
3)
Because God chose us in Christ before the foundation of
the world and adopted into his very family (Ephesians 1:4-8)
Peter struggled to accept a love so
loyal so deep and so enduring from Jesus. Yet he needed to feel this love again
after Christ’s resurrection.
Often
we need to feel really feel Christ’s love when we are discouraged in our faith
or are just not sure of what it is that we are seeking and needing from Him.
But knowing that God values us, loves us and offers to us his grace and love
enables us to grow in our faith.
REFLECTION:
Have you ever felt that God did not
love you or you questioned your faith because you felt left out? Maybe you might
have felt others wonder about your love for God because of your actions and
words. Or even you have felt that God loves everybody but you. Just think—if
you were the only person alive, Jesus would have died for you alone. This is
how much he loves you-and I- us all together.
How do you respond to God’s love
for you given in Jesus? Do you have a healthy faith knowing that God loves you
for who you are?
PRAYER
Holy God thank you for loving me so
much that your Son died for me and saved me from death. Thank you God for this
gift in Jesus for he has changed my life and I pray that I may live to serve
you well all the days of my life. Amen.
This reflection is based upon ideas
of by Stephen Arterburn and Jack Felton More Jesus Less Religion: Moving
from Rules to Relationship. Colorado Springs, Co: Waterbrook
Press,2000. Chapter 6
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