But you are God’s chosen treasure — priests who are kings…
— 1 Peter 2:9a (TPT)
One of the main things in life we long for is a sense of belonging. No matter your age, your background, we all have this desire of wanting to belong. Even if it is buried deep and no longer surfaces, it is still a longing to be a part of something or someone.
We do all kinds of things to get that sense of belonging and acceptance. Often, individuals will go to great lengths to do whatever it takes to belong. In this world’s system it is never enough. We may measure up for the moment but then that is lost and we have to keep achieving, changing and striving.
This month we are going to look at two parables that show us our value and acceptance. We know intellectually that God loves us; we know in our minds that God accepts us but is that belief in our hearts? Often, I think not. It is just knowledge and knowledge doesn’t change us. It is the understanding with the heart that changes us.
We devalue ourselves based on our own merit. We feel that God can not possibly be pleased with us because we have failed to live up to His standards. There have been times in my life when I didn’t like myself, so I wondered how anybody else could like me?
Transformation is what happens to us when we are born again. Accepting and agreeing with this transformation, this new person, is emptying ourselves of our own opinions. We all have opinions which are usually very strong. Feelings of unworthiness and being undervalued are opinions that we hold near and dear. Yet they are completely contrary to God’s opinion.
I had to come to the place of letting go what I thought of myself, emptying the space in my heart so it could be filled with truth, God’s opinion.
Knowing that God accepts you and loves you and values you above all other species in His creation is to believe it with your heart. It is not just a head nod of acknowledgment; it is a matter of the heart. The Bible has a lot to say about having His word in our heart (Proverbs 7:3).
If we truly believed that God accepted us then our striving for acceptance from Him would cease. We have this idea that God is not pleased with us so in our state of feeling unworthy, we are actually distancing ourselves from God’s love that reaches out to us continually.
This month we want to look at God’s view of us. To live life the way God desires, we must understand His view and opinion of us and change ours to match His. First, we need to discover what that is. Let’s make this exciting journey together.
“Surrender – Accept His Acceptance”
Use the buttons below to get the Desktop or Mobile or iPhone wallpaper.
Remember His Covenant