You are Priceless!

Matthew 6:25-27 NIV

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

1 Timothy 6:15-16 NIV

God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

*God is the King of Kings, and he is our heavenly Father… that makes you Royalty!!! Not only are you royalty, but you are PRICELESS!!! The definition of priceless is “having a value beyond any price” another definition is “worth a king’s ransom.”

John 3:16 NLT

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

*God paid the ultimate price for you because you are THAT valuable to him! He is the King of Kings and he paid a King’s ransom for YOU!!! A ransom is “a consideration paid or demanded to release someone or something from captivity.” You have been paid for at the highest price; God could have created you and left it at that. He could have left you in the captivity of this world but He chose to take his VERY best, and lay it down for you!

Walk in that confidence knowing that you have been paid for by the highest price, and that you are PRICELESS!!

Genesis 1:26-28 NIV

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

*God made you in his image. Just as you have features that resemble your earthly parents, so too you have features that resemble your Heavenly Father because you were made in his image. Therefore, you can not be junk, ugly, worthless, broken or useless because God is perfect and you were made in his image! He has instructed you to “Rule over…” that means you have authority over the things of this world!

Song of Solomon 4:1

You are beautiful, my darling,
    beautiful beyond words.

Song of Solomon 4:7

You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
    beautiful in every way.

*You are beautiful, you were made in his image, the word of God tells you those facts; but we also know that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy us (John 10:10). In Ephesians 6 Paul teaches us that we do not fight against the seen, but against the UNSEEN, and that is why we need to be prepared by putting on the full armor of God!

Ephesians 6:13 NLT

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

*The enemy is going to lie to you, that is a fact! Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be protected!

Wear your Helmet of Salvation, this allows God’s power to work inside of you. Put on your Breastplate of Righteousness, so that you will walk in God’s righteousness and have a blessed life. Strap the Belt of Truth around your waste so that you will not be deceived when the enemy tries to lie to you! Put up your Shield of Faith, so that you can extinguish the arrows(lies) that the enemy launches at you. Carry your Sword of the Spirit (the Bible), that way when you are being attacked you have ammunition to declare the truth. With all the armor in place you will not be able to help but have your feet firmly fitted in the Shoes of Peace; the unspeakable peace that comes only from God!

*When a thought tries to creep in that is contrary to the word of God do not camp out on it! Do not entertain it or keep it around! IMMEDIATELY recognize that it is not from God, and verbally say “that is not a God thought and I rebuke it right now in the name of Jesus.” (John 14:6 tells us we have access to God the Father through Jesus Christ!) Then use your sword to speak truth!

Example:

When you are feeling ugly or worthless:

“That is not a God thought and I rebuke it right now in the name of Jesus, I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), I am beautiful in everyway (Song of Solomon 4:7). I am created in God’s image, I am a child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who paid the ultimate price for my life because I am that valuable (Genesis 1:26-28, Matthew 6:25-27, 1 Timothy 6:15, John 3:16).

*There will be days that you may have to rebuke every other thought that comes into your head, but be consistent! God has given you the armor you need, and he has placed HIS power (the same power that raised Christ from the grave) inside of you so that you will be able to stand firm!

Overwhelming Victory

Romans 8:31-38 New Living Translation (NLT)

³¹ What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? ³³ Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁴ Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”^[a]) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

      

     My favorite part is verse 37 “despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” What an amazing promise! No matter what we go through victory is ours. Don’t get me wrong, not all victories happen the way we thing they will.

Romans 8:28

New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

           

      “According to His purpose.” We may not see the good in our current circumstances but God has prepared the way. Not all things are good, but God can bring good from all things! One of my favorite quotes is by Edwin Cole, “Yesterday’s dung, is tomorrow’s fertilizer.” So very true!

James 1:3-4

New Living Translation (NLT)

³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

           

      Another great promise! If we allow our faith to grow through challenges and trials, we will build endurance; something we all need! One version uses the word “character” the testing of our faith builds character, I find that so encouraging.

           

     When gold is put into the fire all the dross or “junk” comes to the top, it is like that with our faith life. When we go through trials, “fires” all the junk that lies underneath comes to the surface. This is so important because it gives us an opportunity to take that junk to the Lord, and lay it at his feet; to take that “dung” and use it to grow!

Psalm 3:3

The Message (MSG)

But you, God, shield me on all sides; You ground my feet, you lift my head high

     I love that so much! There have been many days that this verse has been my anthem! When I feel overwhelmed and frustrated I just stop and say a simple prayer; “Father, I thank you that you shield me on all sides, protecting me! Thank you for grounding my feet no matter what is going on. And thank you that because of the sacrifice on the cross I can lift my head high.” It strengthens me, and reminds me that God has me in his hands.

     I pray that each of us be encouraged through our day, that we would remember, overwhelming victory is ours, because God will work things together for his good. Allowing our faith to build endurance and character, while shielding us, grounding our feet and lifting our head high!

Fine China

I heard a story from a guest speaker at a meeting I went to recently that has really stuck with me and I believe it bears repeating!

This speaker was from Romania where all of her family still lives. While visiting her family the gift of an heirloom that has been passed down from generation to generation was bestowed upon her. This precious family heirloom was a set of fine china. She told her mother she was scared to transport them from Romania to the United States in fear that something would happen to them, however her mother insisted that the tradition be carried on through her: the only female of her generation.

Upon arriving home after a long journey she carefully opened the box of china. Tears sprung to her face as she beheld the sight of her family’s fine china. Several pieces lay broken and cracked in the bottom of the box. In a fit of unbelievable anger she picked up the un-broken china and smashed it into tiny pieces destroying the rest of her inheritance.

Everyone in the room gasped at her drastic reaction, until she revealed to us that instead of smashing what was left of her family’s heirloom she lovingly picked up the broken pieces, finding every speck that she could and mended them back together. Then she said to us “how many times do we set goals for ourselves and the first time we slip we smash what is left in to tiny pieces?”

I don’t know about you but I am very guilty of doing just that! I will set a goal for myself, and the very moment I mess up I will throw in the towel.

Instead we should think of ourselves as the fine china! When we mess up and fail, and we most definitely will, we need to come before God and allow him to help us pick up the pieces and mend them back together. After all isn’t that exactly what God declared when he sent his son to die on the cross for us? He was telling us that we are precious that we are beyond valuable to him.

My challenge to you today is to treat yourself as fine china! Take it a step at a time. When you mess up, confess it to God ask for his forgiveness and help; and then mend the pieces back together!

Psalm 116:1-9 New Living Translation (NLT)

¹ I love the Lord because he hears my voice
    and my prayer for mercy. ² Because he bends down to listen,
    I will pray as long as I have breath! ³ Death wrapped its ropes around me;
    the terrors of the grave^[a] overtook me.
    I saw only trouble and sorrow. ⁴ Then I called on the name of the Lord:
    “Please, Lord, save me!” ⁵ How kind the Lord is! How good he is!
    So merciful, this God of ours!
⁶ The Lord protects those of childlike faith;
    I was facing death, and he saved me.
⁷ Let my soul be at rest again,
    for the Lord has been good to me.
⁸ He has saved me from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling.
⁹ And so I walk in the Lord’s presence
    as I live here on earth!

His Grace is Enough

I went to a concert a few days ago and one of the bands led us in the singing of Amazing Grace. Slowly the band stopped playing the instruments and the signers backed away from their microphones, until it was only a symphony of voices worshiping the living God. What a powerful sound! I couldn’t help but ponder upon the words:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.

Grace: unmerited divine assistance

Unmerited (undeserved) divine assistance, grace is not something that we earn; it is a gift from God to us because of his unconditional love. “How precious did that Grace appear… the hour I first believed.” It’s immediate; it does not take works to go into effect. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior his grace covers our life!

Ephesians 2:8-9

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

In her book Scandalous Grace(a must read if you need some grace in your life), Julie Ann Barnhill says it like this, “It’s all about wrapping our minds around the preposterous nature of God’s grace, embracing it for ourselves, and then extending it to those around us.”

I love how she uses the word preposterous, because that is exactly how his unmerited grace is perceived! In almost every avenue of our lives we have to “work” at things. We have to strive and push to make things happen. So our automatic thought process is that we must work for God’s grace, when in reality it is already ours.

The real key (and trust me I am not saying it is easy), is to learn to walk in the grace that already covers your life! Yes, you will make mistakes. Yes, you will fall and fail in life. However we need to learn that God’s grace is sufficient, his grace is enough! He sent his son to die on the cross for our sins, covering us with an unmerited grace.

 

Acts 15:11

New Living Translation (NLT)

¹¹ We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”

Truly that is Amazing Grace! So walk in that grace, take ownership of it in your life. Live with the freedom and authority that God has placed over you with the sacrifice of his son.

 

Acts 20:24

New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁴ But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

Share his grace; do not keep it to yourself. Can you imagine if we all learned to walk in true grace? How many lives would be changed and saved? If we were give others the same underserved grace that God offers to us we could see a great change in our world. Let it start with you! Grab a hold of God’s grace. Allow it to cover your life, and then go and share it with those around you!

Live in Grace

Let God be your Daddy!

Sitting on the edge of her bed perfectly positioned in the light that was streaming in from the hallway through her cracked door, she could hear daddy talking and laughing with her brother across the hall. She knew it deep in her soul that tonight would be the night. Tonight he would come across the hall and tuck her into bed too. He would give her hugs and kisses and wish her sweet dreams. With her heart beating violently inside her chest she sat up a little straighter when she heard him saying his last “good nights.” Anticipation overtook her when she heard the flick of her brothers light, and the closing of his door. Daddy’s shadow cast across the floor, when his big frame entered her door jam a smile light up her tiny face. He then reached his arm in, grabbed a hold of the door handle, and without a word swung the door shut. Hearing the latches finality when it clicked into place caused her smile to dissipate. Sobs began to take over her little body as she sat on the edge of her bed and listened to daddy walking down the hall away from her.  When she heard his feet descending the stairs she felt as if she had been punched because all the air left her lungs and she struggled to breath. She heard a gentle whisper…

“I watch over the fatherless”

It calmed her, and brought a peace that was unexplainable. With that peace upon her she lay down on her bed and drifted off to sleep.

***

Her head hurt from all the studying, she felt as though she would never be ready for the test tomorrow. Her brother sat across the table from her working on his own homework. They had been joking with each other all evening as mom prepared dinner.  She loved spending time with her family like this; it made her feel special and loved.

Hearing the front door open she smiled, dad was home. He came around the corner into the kitchen and headed straight for mom.

“Hello my bride, how was your day?” He said as he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek.  They shared simple banter and then he came over to the table.

“Hey Son, how was school? Do anything fun?” He asked looking right past her at her brother. Knowing it would be her turn next she began compiling a list of things she wanted to share from her day. After her brother had bragged about his grade in science class, dad rounded the table corner and tousled his hair telling him how proud he was.

She then watched as Dad turned away from her and walked out of the room with out a single word uttered in her direction. Hurt consumed her. Every feeling of love and specialness fled from her body. She tried to finish her studying, but was unable to concentrate.

Five minutes later mom instructed them to go wash up for dinner. Entering the hall, dad bumped into her, “Oh, I forgot to say hi to you…” he said, pulling her into an impersonal embrace.  As she walked away from him, the pain worsened.

“How could he forget to say hi to me, I was right there?” Were the words she spoke under her breath. A new wave of pain overcame her. She no longer felt special at all, instead emptiness filled her.

“I sustain the fatherless”

Just as it always had, that gentle voice filled her with the peace she needed so badly.

***

            Waiting at the table of her favorite restaurant she kept telling herself he would show up this time. He promised. She had called and made the reservation for two. A night with just her and her father, she couldn’t wait. It had been a while since she had gotten to spend time alone with him. All week she had been anticipating their time together.

            Feeling the sudden vibration of her phone, she removed it from her pocket. Noticing a text message from her father, she said a simple prayer before reading it. “God, please say he is still coming.” Another piece of her heart felt chipped away as she read what he had to say. He was caught up at work and would have to reschedule, he would call her tomorrow. “Yeah, that’ll happen”

            She stood up, feeling badly for wasting space on a Friday night. Placing a ten dollar bill on the empty table she walked out of the building. The rain pouring down outside matched the mood in her heart and helped hide the tears that were now streaming down her face. She climbed into her car and let the emotions unleash.

            “God, I don’t understand. Why did I think it would be different this time? I have fooled myself for so long. How could I expect him to love me? I am nothing but a burden to him, an obligation. I hate how he makes me feel. I don’t feel loved, I don’t feel protected… I need a daddy!”

            “I am a father to the fatherless.”

            Once again the peace she had come to rely upon consumed her. God was speaking to her, just like he always had. He was asking her to surrender, to allow him to be her daddy. Fear filled her. What would it be like to have God as her daddy, would he hurt her the way her earthly father had?

            “Be strong and courageous my daughter, I will never leave you nor will I forsake you.”

            She sat in her car, embraced by the peace of God.

“I love you… daddy!” Saying the words she began to sob more passionately. She felt free, loved and cherished like she never had. It felt so right, it felt as though she had known it her whole life; God was her daddy. God would watch over her; he would sustain her; he would never leave her or forsake her. He would be her daddy.