I will praise thee; for I am fearfully
and wonderfully made. . .
Psalm 139:14a
People make much these days about finding one's sense of self-worth. And while this is nice, I am more interested in discovering my worth to God...
and wonderfully made. . .
Psalm 139:14a
People make much these days about finding one's sense of self-worth. And while this is nice, I am more interested in discovering my worth to God...
Because the Bible lets me know that every human being is of great value to our Creator. And according to the 139th Psalm, each of us was personally fashioned together by the hands of God, one cell at a time, while we were yet in the wombs of our mothers.
With this in mind, earlier today, I was attempting to encourage a fellow prisoner who has spent a lifetime being victimized by lying spirits of self-hatred. He suffers from profound feelings of worthlessness, uselessness and rejection. And during the course of our conversation, he gave all kinds of reasons why he thinks this way.
But as we spoke, I opened my Bible and read to him Psalm 139:13-14. How God knows each of us. That He knew us even before we were born, and how we are His "workmanship," to be used by the Lord for a good purpose, which He will reveal to each individual once he or she places their faith in Jesus Christ (see Ephesians 2:10).
And when he began to respond positively to what I was saying, I asked him, "So why all the self-hatred and negative thoughts about your worth as a person?" He simply shrugged and could not verbalize an answer.
I then went on to say that the proof of God's love for us was clearly demonstrated when He allowed His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die for our sins on the cross of Calvary. How the Lord Jesus went to His death willingly in order to pay the price for our sins and to satisfy God the Father's requirement for Justice. How it was always God's desire that we receive His Son as Savior, so we could ultimately join God in heaven and thus live with Him forever. Hence, the belief that one is a "worthless" individual is false. It's a lie.
In Christ, I gently told him, there is no place for any kind of hatred towards oneself. Such hatred, I added, is opposed to God's love for humanity, which is so clearly revealed in the Scripture verse of John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
"This says it all," I declared to him. Obviously, my friend was being lied to by the devil all these years.
Now I hope he will see himself differently.
D.B.
With this in mind, earlier today, I was attempting to encourage a fellow prisoner who has spent a lifetime being victimized by lying spirits of self-hatred. He suffers from profound feelings of worthlessness, uselessness and rejection. And during the course of our conversation, he gave all kinds of reasons why he thinks this way.
But as we spoke, I opened my Bible and read to him Psalm 139:13-14. How God knows each of us. That He knew us even before we were born, and how we are His "workmanship," to be used by the Lord for a good purpose, which He will reveal to each individual once he or she places their faith in Jesus Christ (see Ephesians 2:10).
And when he began to respond positively to what I was saying, I asked him, "So why all the self-hatred and negative thoughts about your worth as a person?" He simply shrugged and could not verbalize an answer.
I then went on to say that the proof of God's love for us was clearly demonstrated when He allowed His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die for our sins on the cross of Calvary. How the Lord Jesus went to His death willingly in order to pay the price for our sins and to satisfy God the Father's requirement for Justice. How it was always God's desire that we receive His Son as Savior, so we could ultimately join God in heaven and thus live with Him forever. Hence, the belief that one is a "worthless" individual is false. It's a lie.
In Christ, I gently told him, there is no place for any kind of hatred towards oneself. Such hatred, I added, is opposed to God's love for humanity, which is so clearly revealed in the Scripture verse of John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
"This says it all," I declared to him. Obviously, my friend was being lied to by the devil all these years.
Now I hope he will see himself differently.
D.B.
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