Receive God’s Word in John 17:23 NLT.

“I in them and you in me… Then the world will know…and will understand that you love them as much as you love me.”

At His baptism and transfiguration, God affirmed His love and pleasure in His Son. He said to Jesus, “You are the Son I love. I am well pleased with you” (Mathew 3:17; 17:5). Because you are in Him, the Father loves you with the same love (John 17:23,26). You are God’s beloved; that is the most intimate truth about you. It has to be true, because Jesus said it. Be blessed to live from the blessing of belovedness, not trying to attain it.

You are precious to your Father. He celebrates your existence. You were infinitely loved before you were wounded. That’s the truth of your life. There is no burden on you to prove you are worthy of being loved, of being heard, of being respected, honored, and given dignity. Your life is an unceasing “yes” to the truth that you are beloved because of God’s great love. In Him you are accepted and valued.

It is your spirit connection with your Father that matters. People do not give you legitimacy. True legitimacy comes from the One who chose you with everlasting love. Your Father says, “I called you by name from the very beginning. You belong to me. I know you as my own, and you know Me as your own true Father. I carved you in the palms of My Son. I hide you in My embrace. You have My infinite tenderness.”

Say “Yes” to your belovedness, your significance, your worth, and your belonging. His “Yes” is engraved on your heart. Rise up to discover how to fulfill your deepest essence of who you are, beloved in God your Father and kept in His Son.

Be blessed in the name of the Beloved Son.
Matthew 3:17 NKJV

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• Living Loved –  by Max Lucado

•  You Are Loved

• We Love Because He First Loved Us – by Francis Frangipane

The post Be Blessed, Beloved Child appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Hear God’s Word for you in 2 Corinthians 4:7. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

Your Father wants you to be completely whole in belonging and worth, in identity and legitimacy.

Be blessed to know without question what a treasure you are to Him. Be blessed to live as the special treasure you are. As you know who you are, you will understand the “why” of what you do. Be blessed with knowing your purpose and the specific blessings that God has stored up for you.

Be blessed in the name of the One who is all-surpassing power. Be blessed with knowing experientially that Jesus is the “how” of everything you are and do. Paul asked the rhetorical question, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). And the answer is nothing. God is your competence (2 Corinthians 3:5). Know that it is “not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the LORD Almighty (Zechariah 4:6). You can be confident, knowing that apart from Him you can do nothing (John 15:5), but in Him you can do everything (Philippians 4:13).

You can be confident in the core of your being in following God’s will, not your own; in speaking His words, not your own; in doing His work, as He does His work of intimately revealing Himself. Thank God for your God-given competence, but don’t allow your competence to become your identity. Be blessed with healing in your deepest doubts and your deepest wounds of identity, so that you do not have to strive to prove that you are worthy, legitimate, significant, and deserving of honor.

God designed you for unique good works in Christ (Ephesians 2:10). There are some things He placed you in the world to do that you can do better than anybody else, because of who He designed you to be. Be blessed in everything He designed you to be to fulfill His purpose on the earth. As you align yourself with who God designed you to be, you will be fulfilled, and the world will be blessed.

Be blessed in the name of the One who is your all-surpassing power (2 Corinthians 4:7).

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

From: You Are Blessed In The Names Of God (page 31)

Further Reading

•  Making a Difference

•  Poems

•  Salvation Explained

The post God’s Competence in Clay Pots appeared first on Thoughts About God.