Loved

Ever feel alone? Left out? Different? Rejected? Less valuable than others?

Ever wonder if God REALLY wants you in His family? After all... you did or said what you did or said. Can’t take it back and can’t change the past. 

Worry no more.

God wants you. 
God won’t reject you.
God won’t send you away because you’re different.

God loves different. God CREATED different. 

It doesn’t matter how you think you look today. Or how badly they make fun of you. Who you are in Christ is defined by the One who knit you together not by the ones trying to pick you apart. 

You could have broken dreams, a broken heart, or be broken in spirit... imperfect or all-together wrecked.

God wants you to know something today.

You are not an accident.
You are not less valuable than anyone else.
You are loved.

Let that sink in a second... the one Who started your heart beating is in love with it. He declares His devotion to you over and over in scripture. He doesn’t have you confused with your overachieving brother... or the rich lady down the street... or the perfect parent at the pediatrician’s office. 

He is talking about you. 

He wants you to know that your past doesn’t define you and your future has yet to be written. 

You are loved.

Wandering Off

 It may seem hard to believe, but the United States average high-school dropout rate is 25%.  1 in 4 students decide to leave before they finish.   The question is… what is happening to stop this trend?  What are schools doing to pursue those that want to call it quits?

The church faces a similar situation.  People coming to the end of their faith and deciding that they just want to walk away from a God who seemingly doesn’t care.  So what’s being done?  What is the family of God supposed to do when one of their own drifts away?  Pursue.  Lovingly… and with great passion… go after those that have lost their way.  Scripture tells us in Matthew 18:12 "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?”  We are to go after the lost…the disillusioned…the confused…the broken…and the hurt.  They may be looking to drop out… and it’s that very time that God commands us to step in.  Sometimes all someone needs is the reassurance that things will get better…and that God still cares.  Know someone who’s walked away?  Today…without hesitation…start the process of leading them back.   Both of you will be better for it. 

The Rescue

Christine Loughead’s last trip to the grocery store was anything but routine.  It started out as it always did (bread, milk, cereal, etc.)  but at the back of the store by the meat section, Christine noticed a lone lobster sitting in a tank filled with cold brine water waiting to be sold, cooked, and eaten.  She decided to do something about it.   Moving quickly, she purchased the solo crustacean, wrapped him in wet newspaper, put him in a cooler, and drove six hours to a shipping location to send him to a friend who lived beside the Atlantic Ocean.  She was determined to return the lobster to his/her home.

The lobster who was bound for eventual death was spared.

When I read that story, it reminded me that all of us are a lot like that lobster.  We are born into a broken world where one day we will run out of heartbeats.  We sit hoping that someone will intervene and allow us to live a life of freedom...a life where we are unbound and able to become who we were created to be.  Not held to a small tank... but released to a boundless ocean of possibilities, strength, and hope. 

If you’re reading this today... I have good news for you.  You are free.  Truly free.  Not because of anything you’ve done, said, or logically figured out.   Your rescuer?  Jesus Christ.  He willingly sacrificed Himself on the cross over two thousand years ago so you don’t have to spend your life scared of the future...staring through the glass of life worrying about your eventual fate.   When you enter into a relationship with Him you are released from the bounds of infinite separation from God and ushered into a family that lives together eternally with Christ in Heaven.    

Think about that a minute... we have nothing to offer Christ but He rescues us anyway.  Scripture puts it this way in Psalm 8:4 “what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?”  David asks the big question... who are we that God Himself would come down to save us?   But then we read John’s beloved explanation in verse 16 of the third chapter... “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

If you’re looking for an explanation as to why God would go through all the trouble to save us... it’s simple. 

Love.

He loves you so much that you were worth the sacrifice of His Son on your behalf.

He loves you so much that He gave up His perfect child for an imperfect you.

He loves you so much that He would rather lose Jesus than spend forever separated from you. 

You are worth infinitely more than a lobster in a tank.  Your life has a purpose... it has meaning... and the One who started your heart beating wants you to live a life free of the fear of “what if.”  Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ?  If so, live like it.  Head up... shoulders back... stand boldly for Him and share your faith with others.  If not, I encourage you to make today the day you break free.  Read the prayer below and commit your life to Him.  It is the most important (and liberating) decision you’ll ever make.  The words you say aren’t as important as the condition of your heart as you meditate on and repeat the passage below:

Jesus... I admit that I’m a sinner.  I make mistakes and I realize that I can’t do life alone.  Please come into my heart... lead me... guide me... and become the Lord, Master, the CEO of my life.  I believe that you came to earth, died on the cross for my sins, and resurrected three days later so that anyone who believes can spend forever with you.  Today, I commit everything I understand about myself to everything I understand about You.   Thank you for loving me the way you do... and thank you for salvaging me... saving me... and making it possible for me to be truly free and live eternally.  In Jesus name, Amen. 

If you prayed that prayer above... welcome to the family.  You’ll never make a better choice.  I pray that your first steps with Christ will grow into a lifetime of seeking Him in all things.  Blessings to you today and always!

Eyes Closed

A 28-year-old woman was recently hospitalized after running her car into a North Florida home.  Police reported that the driver lost control of her vehicle, ran a stop sign, plowed through an intersection, and jumped the curb before coming to a stop against the side of a residence.  When asked what happened, the driver responded that she was busy praying... with her eyes closed.

There’s nothing wrong with praying... in fact, the Apostle Paul tells us to “Never stop praying” in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.   And while many of us would never drive with our eyes literally closed... some of us do pray blinded by something else...  selfishness.

-       -  We pray that others would change so that our lives would get easier

-       -  We pray for things that others are doing wrong while we are doing the exact same thing

-       -  We pray for our finances but aren’t obedient to God with what He’s already given us

-       -  We pray that God would bless our lives yet know that we are making choices that don’t line up with His Word

God hears EVERY prayer... even when our eyes are on ourselves when we talk to Him.  He cares deeply for us and wants us to lift up our requests regularly.  However, when all we do is pray for things that involve or benefit us, we run the risk of becoming prideful.  

As Christ-followers we are servants.  Our primary focus shouldn’t be our needs but the needs of others... to love, serve, and lift up those that God has put in our path.  We have to keep our eyes open at all times to see what THEY need so that we can intercede on their behalf... knowing that God will provide for us in His own way at the same time. 

Take a few minutes today and look over your personal prayer list.  How many of those requests solely benefit you and how many help others?   My prayer is that the eye-opening results would encourage you (and me) to consistently evaluate how we can become better at being others-focused.    We shouldn’t neglect our needs... but closing our eyes to those around us can cause us to drift from the road God has set before us.