“So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” – 1 Corinthians 15:58.
We all want to know who we are. We try numerous ways including personality tests and other assessments to “find ourselves.” We learn that we are like a certain animal, or that we are an overachiever, or a skeptic, a competitor or an academic. But as helpful as those tests can be, we should stop and ask ourselves, “What does God think about me? Who does He say that I am?”
One of the most unbelievable things that I believe is that Almighty God believes in us. He has faith in us. He trusts us. He gives us the freedom to choose, encourages us to “choose life:” “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20) We have a choice. God lets us decide.
C.S. Lewis said, “Reality is something you couldn’t have guessed.” So true. Who could have guessed that God would love us even though the Old Testament prophet Isaiah points out, our righteousness is about as good as a “snot rag.” (Isaiah 64:6). Fortunately, God’s grace is greater than our filthy rags. We can look at nature and marvel at what we see. We can see technology advancements that are simply mind boggling; but nothing compares or rises to the level of the fact that each one of us is a dearly-loved child of God. If He didn’t love us, He never would have sent His only Son into the world to die for us. But Jesus Christ did come into the world, and He did die on the cross for our sins. The only possible explanation for enduring the cross is because God loves us. The Bible says, “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 4:10).
Everything that God has ever done testifies to His love for us. He did it all because He loves us and believes in us and is not willing that any of us should perish. His enduring hope is that we will stop doubting His intentions and trust Him back.
All of us can remember someone who believed in us. Whether it was a person to talk, spend time with or do life with. The people who have believe in us and support us give us a gift and the hope for a better future. God believes in us – we need to learn to embrace and depend on Him. To accomplish our vision, to have the future we all long for, we need a champion in our corner. And the ultimate champion is Jesus Christ.
Discussion Questions:
- What would you say is your life’s mission? How do your actions reflect in the things you believe in?
- What do you believe would happen if your actions reflected your belief in the next generation?