A Shocking LoveSample
The Truth of Your Value
“If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands…” Most likely, you remember this tune from your childhood. Brain plasticity explains how impressionable we are in childhood. It is how we adapt and mold to our lived experiences. This is not just a psychological principle; it’s also deeply spiritual. Why? Not only are we developing an understanding of the world and ourselves in those formative years, but also we’re developing our own unique view of God.
Subconsciously we wonder:
What part of my heart must I hide from God?
Can I feel safe in God’s presence?
What makes me lovable and valuable to God?
Consider for a moment how your answers to these questions were formed. Most of us pieced our own answers together not based on the truth of God’s word but, rather, on various misconceptions picked up through life experiences.
The Bible tells us that there is nothing you need to hide from God because He already knows everything about you (Luke 12:7).
His presence is the safest place for your vulnerable heart (Psalm 61:1-3).
You are infinitely valued by the Father. This phenomenon was described by Jesus through a story about a woman who drops everything to find her lost coin and rejoices with loved ones when it’s found. You are the coin, once lost, but upon repentance, now found and rejoiced over by all of heaven (Luke 15:8-10).
1 John 2:14 uncovers the truth of your value: You know the Father.
This phrase is so simple. It makes us slow down. Knowing the Father is something we CAN’T rush. To be a Christian is to know the Father’s love personally and intimately. But it takes time to settle in. It’s unlike any other love we can know in human experience, and it takes a lifetime to learn it, to believe that it’s real, and to accept it personally.
The more we know the Father, the more we understand our true value as His child.
Reflection: How is God proving to you today that you are infinitely valuable to Him? As a child who trusts their Father, what are you trusting God for today?
Prayer: "Lord, thank You for the safety of your love. To be honest, my heart is weighed down, but I want to give You my worries and the things I can’t control. Help me to genuinely know You as my loving Father and to believe that I matter to You. I give You praise for being the Father who sees me as His beloved child."
Scripture
About this Plan
What if your life experience has shaped your view of God more than you thought? Understanding God’s love through the lens of Scripture is vital to growing in relationship with Him. In partnership with LUMO and OneHope, and based on a sermon by Pastor Tyler Staton, this 7-day plan will help you discover the truth of your personal value in light of God’s shocking love.
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We would like to thank LUMO, Oaks Church and Tyler Staton from Bridgetown Church for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: https://bridgetown.church/