HomeWord - July 4, 2007

Delight
This devotional was written by Mike DeVries 

The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17  

I was talking with a friend of mine this week over lunch. I was telling him about the past few weeks of my life, which, to be quite honest, have been less than stellar. About halfway through the conversation, my friend stopped me and said, “You know, since we’ve been talking you’ve used the word ‘inadequate’ a half dozen times. Why?”

As we explored why it was that I’ve had such a sense of inadequacy in my life, we both came to the realization that there was something so much bigger going on here. My issue was not essentially about inadequacy, it was about a deeper struggle with the issue of grace.

I guess lately I’ve had a hard time seeing what God sees in me.

Ever been there? Ever been in a place where you felt inadequate, incapable, centrally flawed? Ever had the feeling of just not being able to move past something that is haunting you? Ever been in a place where you just felt so far from being anything God could ever love?

It seems that at the heart of the inadequacy issue is a deep sense that we just cannot freely embrace the person God sees in us. Why is it that we struggle with being loved?

The reality is that we are loved and have value, not because of what we do, or even could do if we wanted. We have value and are loved by our Creator merely and essentially because we are His. Much like parents love and value their children – not because they are obedient, but merely because they are – so it is with us.

You are God’s creation – embraced, loved, valued, cherished, even delighted over. Nothing will ever change this fact. No amount of obedience will change it. No amount of disobedience will change it. This is grace. This is love. The reality is that when we embrace life in Christ we actually are made new again, made whole again, made holy. The old has gone. The new has come.

I find it fascinating that when Paul addresses the communities of Jesus, he never opened his letters to them calling them “sinners.” Instead, he calls them saints.

So I guess the challenge for us is to be what we already are: holy, loved, made whole and free. These are not things God merely sees us as…they are things we actually are. You are loved. You are valued. You are cherished. Is this not the Good News?

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GOING DEEPER:

How would you define the word “grace”? Is it easier to see yourself as a “saint” or a “sinner”? How can you take a step toward living in light of how God sees you?

FURTHER READING:

Ephesians 2:1-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17

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