I heard that Lisa was off taking a little well-deserved R&R so I thought I might share a little about what God is teaching me this week.
Our perception of ourselves is often the most driving force in our lives. Do we believe in ourselves? Do we have confidence that we can accomplish our goals and desires? Do we believe we are loved, we are respected, we are important to someone? Do we see ourselves as VALUABLE??? The way we answer these questions will influence our behavior, our willingness to try new things, to meet new people, to be real.
Maybe you answered yes to all those questions, maybe you answered no to all those questions. But most likely, you sometimes answer yes and sometimes no.
Well, I have Great News!! The driving force of our lives need not be our perception of ourselves. God has another plan. He wants His perception of us to be that driving force. He wants us to have a deeper understanding of what HE says about us.
So, what does God’s word say about how He sees us?
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
For this is what the LORD Almighty says: "After he has honored me and has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye. (Zechariah 2:8)
Basically, God says He created us and He adores us. When the God of the universe adores us, WE ARE VALUABLE; in fact, PRICELESS.
By the way, if you are coming to the ladies retreat in March, you will have opportunity to use God’s word to find out much more about who He says we are. ~Donna
“So, what’s God been teaching You lately?”
7 comments so far
Donna,
First just let me say I am honored to be the first responder to you, the blog writer:)
At first I was going to write about how I have been learning about prejudices this week. How sometimes even though we don't think we are holding someone's Race, Gender, Religion etc. against them, our actions say something quite different. In Esther 3:6 we learn that Haman, after finding out who Mordecai's "people" were decides that he must find a way to destroy all of Mordecai's "people". It was not mentioned but I wonder if before he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, did Haman talk with him, joke with him etc. the way we do with our friends. How many times have we ourselves thought of someone as a friend and than found out that maybe they don't have the same belief we do or that they don't run in the same "circles" as we do and than all of a sudden we find something better to do when they call or avoid them if we see them out in public. Is that not being prejudice?
Anyways, I said that Prejudice is what I was going to write about at first, than I was reading the notes on Esther 3:5-6 and the notes in my NIV Bible say "Prejudice grows out of personal pride- considering oneself better than others".
Which led me to the notes on Galatians 3:28 "Because all believers are his heirs, no one is more privileged than or superior to anyone else". In my long winded way, I learned a little about self-esteem along the way. Just because one is not as knowlegeable as others, or cannot speak or write as eloquently as others that should not hold them back. God loves us all. No one person is superior. Amen:)
Thank you, Donna, for reminding all of us "IN CAPITAL LETTERS" just how VALUABLE we are in God's eyes. I know for myself I often allow my emotions/feelings of the moment to dictate how I look at myself and how others look at me. Your blog turned me back to God's powerful and living Word to realize just who I am in Christ Jesus - the apple of His eye!! WOW!! Now, if I can just focus on the truth of God's Word rather than the emotions of my heart - which are so fickle - I will live in the confidence of the Lord as God intended in the first place!!!
That's what God is teaching me this week!
Lois :)
Dang it! I wanted to be the "first responder" lol -- You girls ARE amazing.
and I am having an AMAZING time at the beach this week with some very old and dear friends. What God is teaching me lately is that He is a faithful God. It's really just has been ringing in my ears like a comforting song. God is a faithful God. He is the same yesterday, today, forever. He does not change, He does not grow tired or weary. Here's a couple of verses to meditate on; they are my memory work for the past couple of months.
"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me (this part is so cool) AND I WILL LISTEN TO YOU! THEN you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jer 29:11-13 NIV (emphasis ALL mine)
"Work HARD to show the results of your salvation obeying God with reverence and fear. For God is working in you giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him." (Phil 2:12b-13 NLT)
AND finally,
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realm with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ. For He CHOSE us before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His signt. (I'm working on the rest of this right for the rest of this month) In love, He predestined us to be adopted as his sons [daughters] through Jesus Christ. In accordance with his with His pleasure and will -- to the praise of His glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One He loves." (Eph 1:3-6 NIV)
It is SO all about God and so NOT about me and there is freedom in that. GLORY TO GOD! I just so want to be open and receptive to what He would have me do because I see Him working ALL around me. He IS a faithful God! ~L
I'm sure Lisa means "long-time, very dear friends" not 'very old':)
Here's a verse that has been ringing in my ears this week:
"Then those who feared [honored] the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name." Malachi 3:16
Now, think about this: As we blog with each other about what God has been up to in our lives lately HE IS LISTENING and as he hears what we say he directs whoever the angelic scribe might be to take notes! I don't know about you but that just blows my mind! I think God must be especially pleased with our excitement and joy over his work in our lives. We are keeping that angel busy. GLORY TO GOD FOR THAT! Diane
I think this is so cool!!! God is teaching all of us something. Not so we can be the same as each other, but so we can truly be the BODY of Christ. Together, we will have an AWESOME skill set (cool basketball term) as HE works in our lives.
S2S donna
No, really, I did mean old. Teresa, however, disagrees, so here's a compromise... how about "long-time AND very old" friends -- that's Terry's suggestion.
Reading these over again, I see a beautiful thread running through our comments. It is God who establishes our worth and he says, incredible as it seems, that we are worth the death of his One and Only Son! We are his treasured possession; his beloved; yes, the apple of his eye. I love Ephesians 1 and just yesterday read these words in the NLT.. Ephesians 1:4-6
"Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.
And this gave him great pleasure.
So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son."
It doesn't get any better than that, does it?