As the old song says, we have a great friend in Jesus. Following in his way, we know deep joy, new challenges, and intimate companionship.
And there is more. In these next moments of quiet contemplation, open your heart and your imagination to learn about all you receive as God's beloved child.
He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:5-6
I want to be accepted for who I am. It can be easy to get caught up in what other people think about how I dress or what I drive or what kind of activities I do. People look at the outward appearance of a person and think they have that person all figured out. Scripture reminds us that God looks at a person’s heart. If I waste my one life on this earth trying to be somebody I am not just to impress other people, I have not been the person I was created to be.
It can be painful to not be accepted for who I am sometimes. In the end, it is more painful to not be myself. I cannot please everyone.
However, there is one whom I can please. God accepts me in Christ, the Beloved. God has adopted me as God’s own through Christ. I am a child of the ruler of the universe, and I am loved. What could be better and more lasting than to be a child of the eternal God?
Deborah Hurd
Abundant Creator, you bestow your riches upon me. Teach me to love as you love. Open my eyes to see what your will is in every situation. Amen.
May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.
Colossians 1:11-12