Friends
Happy almost Valentine’s Day! It’s a day to celebrate love, and today, I celebrate you! Thank you for showing up and faithfully greeting each Monday with me.
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“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.”
Psalm 139:13-14 – NIV
Valentines Day is tomorrow, a day to celebrate love. For some, there will be pink sweetheart roses delivered to the door. For others, there will be a Valentine card in the mailbox or on the kitchen table. Perhaps there might be a box of chocolates or a handful of candy kisses. Yet, regardless of whether you receive all of the above or none of it, there is one thing you can be assured of. You are loved.
Let me say that again. You are loved. You may not have received a bouquet of flowers for decades. You can’t remember the last time someone brought you a box of chocolate. Your mailbox may contain no red heart-shaped cards, only bills for you. Nevertheless, you are loved.
You are loved by the God of the universe. He is crazy about you. God thinks you are special. In fact, He knows you are, because He created you. He knit you together in your mother’s womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13).
You have a God-ordained purpose. You may not know what it is, but God Knows. He has a perfect plan for you, a plan for good and not for evil, a plan to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
You have problems. You have pain. You have endured suffering. But God still cares for you. The presence of your problems does not reflect the absence of God. You have troubles because you live in a fallen and sinful world, but regardless of your troubles, God never leaves you to face your problems alone. God is with you always (Psalm 139:5). He walks with you. He weeps with you. No matter how bad things get, God can be trusted to work all things together for good, not some things, not most things, but all things (Romans 8:28).
You may feel forgotten, shunned, even despised by other people. You may feel ashamed and unlovable. You may feel not good enough, like you don’t measure up to others’ expectations. But God doesn’t see you that way. You are worthy in His eyes. After all, you were created in His own image (Genesis 1:27).
Your eyes may be focused on the past. You cannot escape the trail of sin that follows you. But God has good news for you. Your slate is wiped clean. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done. All of it has been washed away. You are forgiven. You are forgiven in the Name of Jesus.
God loved you enough to send His only Son into this world so that you wouldn’t perish (John 3:16). Jesus willingly offered His life for you. God loved you so much that He couldn’t bear heaven without you, and one fine day, God will welcome you home to spend eternity with Him.
No matter what you see in the mirror or on the scales, regardless of what others might think or say, God sees you clothed in a robe of righteousness, a beautiful robe that will never fade or unravel. God smiles when He sees you. You are His exquisite handiwork, created fresh and new for His good purposes (Ephesians 2:10).
There may be no roses on your table, no fancy box of chocolates on your counter, but none of that matters. Everything this world can offer pales in comparison to this one resounding truth. You are loved. Forever and always, God loves you. You are His Masterpiece!
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“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Ephesians 2:10 NLT
PRAYER
O Gracious Father, how much You love us. You sent Your Son to redeem us, to set us free from sin and shame once and for all. Jesus loved us so much that he laid down His life for us. Your love for us goes on an on forever. It never fails. It never runs out. We may feel unclean and unworthy, but You see us as Your precious handiwork. We are Your masterpiece. You call us ”Beloved.” Thank You, Lord, for loving us with an everlasting love.
In the Beautiful Name of Jesus, we give thanks and praise,
Amen
Blessings,
Anita
-APS 2/13/2023
Faith Beyond Sight 