Sorry it's been a while since I've written on here, for a while I forgot to write (as you can tell by the lack of postings), but I've written it into my schedule to make sure I update this thing at least once a week....
So as many of you know, Pastor Daniel has invited the church to journey through the Bible over the course of this next year. Each Sunday he will be preaching out of a passage that was read the week before, and in Middle School, we will be doing the same. If you haven't yet decided if this is something you want to do, I would really encourage you join us in reading through the whole Bible. It's not to late to catch up. I think that there is so much we can learn about who God is and what He thinks of us when we look at Scripture as a whole story. When we just pick certain passages of Scripture to read, I really think we miss out on seeing God's plan and what the big picture for humanity is.
For those of you who were at winter camp, the speaker spent a lot of time talking about how we label ourselves and how other people have labeled us. The labels may include: smart, funny, athletic, dork, annoying, weird, or any other label you can think of.
Take a minute and think about how you would label yourself and about how others have labeled you.
Got it in your mind?
Now heres what I want you to do..... forget it.
When we look at the big picture that is revealed in the Bible, we see that there is only one label that really matters. It is one that God felt so strongly about that He was willing to send His only Son to die so that we might embrace it.
So what is that label?
It's that we are loved, the beloved of God.
Take a moment and think about that.
Imagine God saying this to you.... You (insert your name here) are my beloved child.
That something we aren't used to hearing.
Maybe it's something we have heard at church and read in our Bible's, but is it something that we think about every day? When we hear the world telling us that we are a failure unless we can prove otherwise, are we thinking about how we are the beloved of God?
I think that if we were to embrace this truth, it would radically change how we lived our lives and how we view ourselves.
So be encouraged this day, and every one after it. You don't need to listen to what the world is telling you about who you are, the only thing that matters is that you are beloved of God.
If you are interested in reading more about being the beloved of God, check out The Life of the Beloved by Henry Nouwen. It's short, and easy to read.
Blessings.
