“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”
Ephesians 1:4-5 (NLT) Every person wants these three things—more than anything else: to be loved, to be accepted, and to be chosen. These longings are there even in people unwilling to admit it. But there’s good news: You don’t have to look anymore for love and acceptance. You’re already chosen, loved, and accepted by Jesus Christ. Everyone wants to be chosen—from your childhood days at recess to your adult workplaces and love life. Being chosen is key to establishing your self-worth. The Bible says in Ephesians 1:4-5, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (NLT). God created the entire universe because he wanted a family. The whole reason the universe exists is because God wanted children to love. According to this verse, when did God choose you? God chose you before the world was made! Before God chose to create the universe, he had already chosen you. In fact, that’s why he decided to make the universe. He wanted a place where you could live. Before God chose any tree, he chose you. Before God chose the oceans, he chose you. Before God chose every rock that exists, he chose you. That’s an amazing thought—that even before he chose to create the sun and moon and stars, God knew you and chose to love you. That is the foundation of your identity. Nobody wants to be chosen last. But you have never been last in God’s thoughts. You have always been first on his mind. He chose you, he loves you, and he accepts you. You can rest in these truths today.
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“Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well.” Matthew 6:33 (NCV) If you want to live a truly balanced life, you can only look at one person in all of history as your model: Jesus. If you put him at the center of your life, your life will be more balanced. Think of your life like a wheel. The center of the wheel is a hub. All of the spokes of your life (which represent your relationships, your family, your career, your goals, and so on) come from that hub. We all build our lives around some sort of hub. The question is, what will be your hub? Will it be your family? Will it be your career? Will it be money? Or will it be Jesus? How do you know what you’re building your life around? Take a look at whatever you think about the most. That’s what is driving you. The center of your life is critical to developing a balanced life. A solid center leads to a solid life. A weak, flimsy center leads to a weak life. When I hear people tell me their lives are coming unglued, it usually means one thing: They have a faulty center. Something other than God has taken priority in their lives. Not only does the hub create stability, but it also controls and influences everything else about your life. Whatever you put at the center of your life will also be your source of power. The power of a wheel always emanates from the center outward—never the other way around. Make Jesus the hub of your life, and he’ll provide the stability, control, and power you need. The Bible says, “Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well” (Matthew 6:33 NCV). When you choose to put Jesus at the center, all the other areas of your life—from your family to your career to your goals—will find balance in him. He will direct your life, influence it, empower it, and give it stability. “Those who make idols end up like them. So does everyone who trusts them.”
Psalm 115:8 (GW) Even good things—like our marriages, our families, our hobbies, the people we admire, or even our ministries in the church—can become idols if we place a greater emphasis on them than on our relationship with God. Anytime you think fulfillment comes from who you’re with or what you do, you’re setting yourself up for a deep disappointment. Created things simply cannot give us meaning in life; only our Creator can do that. The Bible says, “The poor, deluded fool . . . trusts something that can’t help him at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask: ‘Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?’” (Isaiah 44:20 NLT). We want to live in the truth of God’s reality, not in the lie created by our own hand. These idols won’t just stop after they’ve disappointed us. Eventually, they will control us. On the other hand, if you value Jesus above all else, you’ll become like him. So if putting something else first in our lives warps us, why do we do it? We want a god we can control. We want to be able to manage him. But why would you want to follow a god you can control and manage? That’s no god at all. Guess what? You don’t have to settle for that kind of god. You can choose to give yourself over to an all-knowing, all-powerful God who can take you places far beyond where your fantasies and idols ever could. And that’s a reality that won’t leave you feeling disappointed. “Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.” Ephesians 4:23-24 (GNT)
From the beginning, God’s plan has been to make you like his Son, Jesus. This is your destiny. God announced this intention at Creation: “Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image and likeness’” (Genesis 1:26 NCV). In all of creation, only human beings are made “in God’s image.” But the image is incomplete and has been damaged and distorted by sin. So God sent Jesus on a mission to restore the full image that we have lost. What does the full “image and likeness” of God look like? It looks like Jesus Christ! The Bible says Jesus is “the exact likeness of God,” “the visible image of the invisible God,” and “the exact representation of his being” (2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT, Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 1:3 NIV). People often use the phrase “like father, like son” to refer to family resemblance. God wants his children to bear his image and likeness, too. The Bible says, “You were . . . created to be like God, with a life that truly has God’s approval and is holy” (Ephesians 4:24 GW). To be clear: You will never become God, or even a god. That prideful lie is Satan’s oldest temptation. Satan promised Adam and Eve that if they followed his advice, “you shall be as gods” (Genesis 3:5 KJV). Many religions and New Age philosophies still promote this old lie that we are divine or can become gods. This desire to be a god shows up every time we try to control our circumstances, our future, and the people around us. But as creatures, we will never be the Creator. God doesn’t want you to become a god. He wants you to become godly—taking on his values, attitudes, and character. As you work to fulfill your calling, remember that God’s ultimate goal for your life on Earth is not comfort but character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually and become like Christ. You are meant to “take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you” (Ephesians 4:22 The Message). “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)
Think about your typical week. How many times do you get caught up in feeling pressured by other people—by their lifestyles, their needs, the things they’re doing, or what they expect of you? If you’re feeling pressured, then there is great news for you: God can set you free from those expectations. It’s normal to feel pressure to live up to other people’s expectations. Have you ever asked yourself, “What will other people think if I follow this path?” Of course you have. We all have. But it’s no way to live. Living to meet other people’s expectations is a sure way to get yourself tied up in a knot. You can’t please everyone. You can’t win every popularity poll. Jesus came to set us free from other people’s expectations. Ephesians 2:10 says, “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” (NLT). Take a close look at that verse. First, it says that you are God’s masterpiece. He made you unique. No one else in the world is like you. And God doesn’t want you to try to be like someone else. The second part of the verse says that God makes you new in Jesus so you can do what he’s planned for you to do. Living for Christ simplifies your life. When you’re living as God’s masterpiece, you only need to do what he wants. You can let go of all the expectations from other people. Living to please God might seem really difficult, but it’s not as hard as you think. When God makes you new in Christ, he changes your desires. Things that used to tempt you start to lose their appeal. Jesus sets you free to be yourself. Now you can say, “My one goal is to serve the Lord.” And if you’re doing that, you’ll be a better parent, a better marriage partner, a better friend, and a better colleague. If you’re pleasing God, you’re always doing the right thing—and that makes life so much simpler. “It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27 NLT).
Your identity determines your destiny. That’s a pretty big statement. But in the life of Moses, we see that it’s true. Once Moses realized who he was, his life took a whole new direction. Hebrews 11:27 says, “It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (NLT). Learning your true identity does two things: It gives you the courage to let go of the past, and it gives you the courage to walk into the future. Moses “left the land of Egypt.” He had the courage to let go of his past. In the Bible, Egypt always represents slavery and bondage to something. So here’s the question: What’s your Egypt? What’s enslaving and controlling you? Do you have the courage to walk away from it? Knowing your true identity gives you courage. Next, “he kept right on going.” He had the courage to walk into his future, his destiny. Knowing your identity gives you the courage to walk into a new destiny. The Bible says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV). When you receive Jesus by faith and are baptized, God forgives your sins. He gives you a whole new identity in Christ. People sometimes call it being “born again.” It’s a fresh start, a clean slate, a new destiny. Once Moses discovered his true identity, he focused on his destiny. He was like an Olympic runner who doesn’t look to the right or left, but just looks ahead to the finish line. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in” (The Message). And Colossians 3:1-2 puts it this way: “Set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits . . . Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth” (NLT). When God has given you a new identity, you can focus on the long term—not on other people’s priorities or opinions but on the realities of heaven and the race God has given you to run. Know your identity. Walk away from your past. Move forward into your destiny. “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV).
Here’s some good news: Your brain stores everything. But it’s also bad news: Your brain stores everything. Your brain can’t distinguish between what’s imaginary and what’s real. It takes in both truth and lies. You have stored all kinds of garbage in your brain. And whether you realize it or not, often you base your decisions upon that garbage. When you were a child, adults said things you believed without question because they were authority figures. Maybe they said you weren’t good enough or you wouldn’t amount to anything in life. They were lies then, and they’re lies now. But you believed them anyway! You need to change the soundtrack that’s playing in your mind. Instead of playing something based on lies, you need to play the truth of God’s Word. Romans 12:2 says, “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (NLT). How do you change the way you think? You play a soundtrack of truth. Ask God to heal your memories. Tell God, “I need you to heal these memories of rejection, sin, resentment, guilt, and abuse. They hurt. Please heal me.” Fill your mind with God’s Word. The more truth you put in your mind, the more lies you push out. Instead of spending all your time watching television, on social media, or listening to music, fill your mind with God’s Word. God’s Word says you’re lovable (John 3:16), capable (2 Peter 1:3), valuable (Luke 12:6), forgivable (Psalm 103:12), and usable (Ephesians 4:12). “Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33 ESV).
The Bible says God completely accepts you and loves you unconditionally, and as you understand that truth, it will change your life. You will never, ever be the same again. One of the first things that will change is the feeling of shame you may carry. You don’t have to carry it anymore once you know the truth about God’s unconditional love. Some people go through life avoiding God because they feel ashamed and guilty. They think, “God is a perfect God, and I am so imperfect. Why in the world would I want to hang out with a perfect God who’s simply going to remind me of all the ways that I’ve failed?” But that’s not who God is. The Bible says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1 ESV). You may have spent your entire life trying to gain the approval of other people. It has influenced how you dress, how you talk, and how you do so many of the things you do. But when you understand that God loves you unconditionally, you realize this: You don’t need anyone else’s approval except for God’s. When you know that God loves you and that you’re forgiven, you can shake off the shame and guilt because “there is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 GNT). Rejoice today that you can rest in the perfect love of your Father. “Be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise. Live wisely. I mean that you should use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times. So do not be foolish with your lives. But learn what the Lord wants you to do” (Ephesians 5:15-17 ICB).
If you want to make an impact with your life, you’ve got to do one thing: Get control of your time. Your time is your life. If you don’t learn to manage your time, you’ll limit the legacy of your life. We all have the same amount of time every week: 168 hours. It’s what you do with it that counts! You’ve only been allotted a certain number of days in this world, and if you waste them, you’ve blown it! If you waste time, you’re wasting your life. Your time is your life. You have to stop and ask, “Is this the best use of my time? Is this the best use of my life?” You don’t have time for everything. The good news is that God doesn’t expect you to do everything. So don’t feel guilty about it! There are only a few things worth doing in the first place. Effective people figure out what’s essential in life and what’s trivial, and they spend more time doing the essential things and less time doing the trivial things. You can’t eliminate all the trivia in your life, but you can reduce it. This sounds easy, but frankly it’s often difficult to choose between what’s best for your life and what’s easiest for your life—especially when you’re tired. When you’re tired you don’t want to do the best thing. You want to do what’s easy. That’s why if you’re really going to make something of your life, you have to learn to get some rest. If you’re not rested, you won’t have the mental, emotional, and physical strength to say, “I’m going to do the right thing instead of the easiest thing.” Don’t waste your life. Don’t settle for second best. Don’t go through life just existing. You were not created to just coast. God made you for a mission and a purpose. That starts by asking, “Is what I’m doing the best use of my life?” “I have gained perfect freedom by following your teachings” (Psalm 119:45 CEV).
We know lots of people who like to pretend. We're not talking about children who play make-believe. We're talking about adults who try to pretend they’re somebody else to get the approval of others. Maybe that’s you. Maybe you’ve been pretending for so long that you don’t know who the real you is anymore. You’re wearing a mask, and it’s wearing you out. Everyone else thinks you’ve got plenty of money, plenty of joy, and plenty of time. But you know the truth, and you’re exhausted. Social media exaggerates the problem. It’s the biggest tool today that locks us into a pretend world. If you post a picture of a great sunrise today, you need to post a better picture tomorrow. You don’t post a photo of yourself five minutes after you wake up. Yet that’s the real you—dark circles under your eyes, bedhead, and all. Instead, you just pretend you’re something or someone you’re not. Most people pretend for one of two reasons. Some fall into the people-pleasing trap, where you want to meet their expectations and fulfill their purpose for your life. But even God can’t please everyone, and it’s foolish to attempt something God can’t even do. As one person prays for rain, another prays for sunshine. Someone’s always going to be unhappy. Other people fall into the trap of perfectionism. That’s when you think you must be perfect to be loved. But the problem is, you know better. You know you’re not perfect. So you just pretend. What’s the antidote for pretending? You stop focusing on what others think and start focusing on what God thinks. Only one person knows you completely, loves you unconditionally, and knows exactly what you’re created to do: God. Living for God rather than the approval of others simplifies your life. When you do that, you live for an audience of one, rather than 50. The Bible says it like this: “I have gained perfect freedom by following your teachings” (Psalm 119:45 CEV). Freedom comes when you look to God for approval and not anyone else. You don’t need to earn his love. You don’t need to be perfect to please him. You can’t buy his approval or fake your way to it. He knows everything you’ve ever done, and he loves you—totally, fully, and overwhelmingly. You don’t need to pretend anymore. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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