You are chosen and holy and dearly loved.

Do you know who you are? I mean do you REALLY know who you are? I ask this question and not lightly so you’ll take a moment to process this and see if you know who you are. I don’t mean “what is your name” or “where do you work” or “what do you like to do”. If you are a Christian and you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, do you know that you are a child of the Most High God? Do you know what that makes you? That makes you a prince or princess! Can I get an AMEN?!

We serve a great God and He loves us so very much. He loves us so much that He gave His son to die on a cross for us to pay for our sins! Not only that but He designed each one of us… He knew us BEFORE we were even in our mother’s womb! David says in Psalm 139:12-14 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” You are made with care and precision, you are loved and designed. You were made in the image of God and He has a purpose for your life.

To sum this up, you are fearfully and wonderfully made, you are loved, and you are a child of the Most High God! You are chosen and you have a purpose. Walk this out; mull it around in your brain. How does this change your world? Will you act differently? Live differently?

Remember who you are, in Christ!

Noah and a blast from the past!

I was flipping through some old newsletters I wrote when I was an intern. I found one that really hit home and I realized the message that was there and the revelation that I had received for my own life; literally 2 years ago and I’m only now beginning to see the comfort God was giving me then! Sometimes we are so dense… at least I am.  Here’s the message I wrote:

So, I’ve been reading in the book of Genesis, and I was reading about Noah. As I was reading I started picturing being on the Ark with my family for months! It would be difficult not knowing exactly how long I would be there or what God had in mind. Not to mention the fact that there were a ton of animals and where in the world did they go to bathroom? I started thinking about it and I realized how much faith Noah really had to have. He trusted God that he would not be on that boat forever! I wondered if I would have that kind of faith, trust and patience. So, my encouragement for you would be, even though you don’t see the whole picture and you don’t always know why you are going through it or what it’s going to look like on the other side, trust God. He sees the whole picture and his timing is perfect.

Jason and I have been believing for kids for 3 ½ years now… I wrote this message 2 years ago.  We were only in what I would consider the beginning of the painful season of this waiting. We are through the painful part now, but I look at the contents above and I see how much meat there is! Bless the Lord. When we are going through something, good or bad, God is right there with us; He is so faithful and constant. God does see the big picture and if you have given your life over to Him completely you can trust that He will take care of you. That does not mean that you won’t go through junk, by all means there will be junk! But you don’t have to go through it alone. The best part about going through life WITH God is that when you do have something happen, or a season that is not-so-fun, you have a Comforter.  You also have someone to celebrate with during the joyous times!

Noah dealt with serious opposition and persecution; people ridiculed him for taking God’s Word by faith and building the Ark even though no one had even heard of rain! Imagine what he was thinking, what he was feeling. When you know that God is in control, and you take Him at his word, it makes standing against opposition, temptation, persecution, and struggles that much better. You know that you have God backing you up! How cool is that?
We may not understand why we have to wait for something, or why we’re going through something, but we can know that we’re not alone. We can also know that the One who sees the big picture is in charge. Trust in God, fellowship with Him, and spend time in His Word. Let it penetrate every fiber of your being. Let God reign in your life.