**adapted from a sermon by Chad Whitmore (minister of Franklin Avenue Christian Church, Des Moines, Iowa).
Motivating scripture: Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV
"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the workin gof his mighty strength,"
Introduction
As Christians our actions in our relationship with God are often done out of "habituation." This means that we get caught up in the motions of things and want them to be the same as they have always been. We want to go to the same kind of church service, we listen to the same type of sermons, we pray the same prayer at the same time every day and not many other times, just to name a few. We usually have no problem with accepting that God is all powerful but do we think enough about how God feels about us? For me, this was one of those slight changes in thinking that was really profound to me because I realized I didn't often think of how God truly feels about me and what gifts I have from him that make me special.
This week I want you to think about the WORTH that we have to our God.
I believe that so much of our lives are spent thinking about what God is to us that we don't take the time to think about the relationship the other direction. What are we to God? You are WORTH something to God. Not just something but you are something precious to God. That is hard to swallow for me but that is something that we need to focus on for us to really understand our realationship with God. We, Christians, are God's inheritance. He wants us to come to Him. He formed us to have a special relationship with Him. He wants ALL who can to know Him. He will not send Jesus to us until there is not one more heart to be turned.
Luke 12:6-7 tell us that He remembers each of our sorrows and he cares so much about us that he counts the hairs on our heads. This caring that God does for us goes beyond how I feel for my children and how my parents felt for me. Again, this doesn't sit easy with me. How can anyone love me more than my parents or more than I love my children? It seems impossible. But that's where God trumps everything. He makes the impossible possible. He loves you more than you can imagine.
Matthew 13:45-46 also illustrates how God feels for us. In that scripture we see that God gave up everything for us. He sent us Jesus his only son to do what no other man has been able to do or will ever be able to do again, be the perfect sacrifice for all who believe. Jesus was sinless and blameless and was slaughtered for the sake of all mankind. That really hits me at a part in my heart that is hard for me to look at because I always struggle with the thought of giving up a child. The thought of losing one of my own is enough to almost give me physical pain. My heart goes out to those who have lost a child and I pray I never have to experience that. But could one give up their child even as a sacrifice to save another? God did that for me and all others. That is so huge my mind has trouble grasping it.
This subject never ceases to amaze me. While I do believe that I am worth something priceless to God it seems that it is not often a part of my thoughts. I don't really see a reason why we shouldn't think on it every day. What a great reminder of what we are doing here!
My prayer this week is that you rely on the fact that you are worth something great to God to give you peace and feelings of self worth.
If you don't know the Lord all you have to do is pray and ask Him into your life. That is what He is waiting and longing for.
Have a wonderful week!!
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