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My Identity: What does God say about me?: Loved

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 the Bible reads that we are “new creations” if we are followers of Christ. Have you ever wondered about the way God feels about you? We can be very hard on ourselves at times. We often struggle with our identity. This week, we’ll turn to God’s Word to find out how He views us and how we can find our identity in Him.

 

Loved

“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

1 John 4:9-10, NLT

1_Loved_MONDAYDo you struggle with believing that God loves you just because you are, not because of what you do? This has been a lifelong struggle for me. I grew up thinking God loved me more on the days  I was a good girl, attended church, put a quarter in the offering plate, and didn’t torment my little sister. However, on those days when I was mean to my sister and that Sunday I told my mother that I didn’t want to go to church because it was boring, I envisioned God crossing His arms and shaking His head at me.

He must have been disappointed in me, right? Of course He loved me less on my bad days, right? Wrong! I’m a rule follower, so it’s easier for me to understand the concept of conditional love. Being good equals being loved. That was my understanding for a very long time. Finally, I started comprehending God’s matchless, unconditional love for me. God doesn’t love me because I do. He loves me just because I am.

God’s amazing and unending love for you is already at maximum capacity. He couldn’t possibly love you more (or less) than He does in this very moment. His love doesn’t waver based on your actions or even your attitude toward Him.

We can get stuck in a vicious cycle of attempting to earn God’s love, respect, and forgiveness. The good news is that God doesn’t need us to earn anything. He sent Jesus to earn it for us. Today’s verse in 1 John defines real love as God sending “his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” Even before we loved Him, God made a way for us to be accepted as His loving children.

Learning to receive the love of God is a lifelong journey. Let’s allow God to lavish His affection on us. Another of my favorite verses is Isaiah 62:3 (NIV), which reads: “You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.”

Today, remember that your identity is held by God. You are a royal jewel in His hand.

Seeking Him,

Allison

Christmas and the Faith of Mary

 
Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. Luke 1:38, NLT
 

Christmas and the Faith of Mary

 

Mary_Statue_Photo_by_Allison_K_FlexerEach Christmas, I find myself thinking about Mary, the mother of Jesus. When I was 15, I played the part of Mary in a Christmas play at our church. Since then, I’ve always loved reading her story in the first chapter Luke and thinking about her life.

In recent years, my admiration for Mary has grown as I ponder her response to the angel of the Lord and the greatness of her faith. Mary must have been scared when an angel appeared and told her she would give birth to a son. And not just any son, but “the Son of the Most High.” I often wonder if she thought, “No one is ever going to believe this story!”

As shocked and confused as she must have been in that moment, Mary made a choice to say yes to God. In complete faith, she said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Mary believed and accepted the Lord’s plan. Thank goodness she was so brave and faithful. Mary was a crucial part of God’s plan.

What about you? God has a purpose for your life and designed a journey that only you can fulfill for His Kingdom. I’m not suggesting an angel will show up and reveal that path to you in person. In a way, that would be nice, right? As we draw close to God, he reveals the next steps to us. He nudges us in the right direction if we keep our eyes on Him.

Will we say yes to God like Mary did so many years ago?

In Luke 1:45, Mary’s relative Elizabeth confirms Mary’s great faith. Elizabeth told Mary, “You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

This Christmas, I want to have that kind of faith. I want to trust in the Lord and believe He will do what He has said. As we prepare our hearts for this Christmas season, I challenge each of us to look at Mary’s story with fresh eyes and ask God to give us a Mary-like faith.

Joyfully celebrating the birth of our Savior,

Allison

God is Teaching Me About… Who has Control?

From giving Him my all to giving up control, join me this week as I share some things God has been teaching me lately.

 

Who has Control?

Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.”
Isaiah 46:9-10, NLT

Pilgrimage_FRIDAY-300x252One of the battles I face as I try to live in relationship with Jesus is the concept of control. As much as I want to depend on Jesus, the illusion that I’m in control sneaks back into my life. I live like the responsibility lies on my shoulders. What if I make the wrong decision? What if I go the wrong direction? What if I step outside of God’s will?

It’s exhausting to believe it’s all up to me. And it puts me in the center—instead of God.

One of my favorite devotional books is My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Chambers doesn’t mince words, and his words often challenge my comfortable, Christian life. Chambers points out that God is in control of everything, and we must develop an attitude of trust and rest.

“Nothing happens in any particular unless God’s will is behind it, therefore you can rest in perfect confidence in Him.” –Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”
Proverbs 16:9, NIV 

It’s difficult for me to remove myself from the equation and “rest in perfect confidence” in Jesus. I want to believe that God is in control—even when I make mistakes. I must believe He is sovereign, regardless of my missteps. Otherwise, I make God too small.

God is the One in control. I can run around each day with a fretting and anxious heart trying to make the right decisions, or I can choose to rest in the confidence Scripture gives me.

He is faithful. He is big enough to redeem all things. He is worthy of my trust.

It’s about Him, not me. And even when I fail to trust Him, His sovereign plan is never in question.

Father, keep teaching us about You. Remind us that we are safe in Your capable hands. You are sovereign.

Humbly learning these lessons,

Allison