Has the past year chipped away at your self-esteem? Maybe you have lost a job, your health, or even loved ones. Perhaps the main focus of your entire life has been ripped away and you no longer feel valuable. You have always been the giver and now you you have nothing left to give.
None of us aspires to be weak, at least I know I don’t. I want to be the rescuer, not the helpless. I want to be the giver, not the beggar. The bottom line is that I want to be valuable. We were all created with a desire to be loved and the test of true love comes when one party has nothing to offer.
I think our ability to experience God’s love correlates directly with our ability to see our weakness. As I read the passage below, I am struck by God’s tender love for His chosen people, Israel.
“But now thus says the LORD, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you: I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you: when you walk through the fire you will not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you….Because you are precious in My eyes, and honored, and I love you….I, I am the LORD, and besides Me there is no Savior.” Isaiah 43:1-2, 4, 11 (ESV)
God expresses His deep love for Israel while telling them that He is their only Savior. As a believer in Jesus, I am told that I can share in the promises for Israel. The new covenant book of Ephesians says to “remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility…” Ephesians 2:12-14 (ESV)
If we trust in Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice, we can all receive these beautiful words of love from God, given to Israel in the book of Isaiah.
You are precious in God’s eyes. Meditate on that!
God created me and calls me His own. I am precious is God’s eyes and honored and He loves me. Have you ever thought of yourself as precious to God? I certainly haven’t thought about it enough!
According to Merriam-Webster, the word precious can be defined as “of great value or high price” or “highly esteemed or cherished.”
You are cherished by God and honored, not because of what you do, but because He loves you. Be encouraged today that the most powerful One in the universe says you are important. He delights in you, not because you are a so-called contributing member of society, but because you are His creation. He loves you because He loves you.
*Photo credit: Clay Clark
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