You Have Value

One of the pillars of The Defining Difference, Redemptive Compassion, is that everyone has value. In the book “When Helping Hurts”, the authors state that the true cause of poverty is found in our failure to fulfill our role as image-bearers of God. We have value as a result of being created in His image.  The following devotional shows the hope we find for this life based on the fact that we all have value.

A Day of Hope

by Jarrid Wilson

“What oxygen is to the lungs, such is hope to the meaning of life.”  —Emil Brunner

Have you ever felt hopeless, worthless, or just downright useless? I believe we all have those days, months, or even years where we feel like we are nothing but a shadow in a world of color—like our existence means nothing, or that the day of our birth was a catastrophic mistake in the time continuum.

And while all those things might feel very real to you, I am here to tell you that they’re wrong. In fact, they’re straight up lies.

Check this out: Jeremiah 1:5 states, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” Did you catch that? God knew you before He formed you in your mother’s womb. He knew you before you were born. And on top of that, He set you apart from the beginning of time to be someone of substantial worth in His name.

Bam! Take that hopelessness!

God is the author of all hope. Hope brightens the darkened soul; it breaks the slave’s chains; it sustains those in spiritual exile, comforts those in a place of suffering. When our hope is in God, our spirits cannot be crushed.

Here’s my point: Today is a day to focus on the hope that God has purposed for your life. It is the day to break away from the lies of Satan and to realize you are purposed for a life with God. Don’t let the opinions of people interfere with the directions given to you by God.

Does this mean things are going to be perfect? No, but this does mean that you have someone in your life who gives you worth, acceptance, and love.

Verse of the Day:

Lamentations 3:24 “I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!’ ”

Challenge:

Tell a stranger that your hope is found in God. Share the hope of your Savior to someone who has yet to know it.

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Taken from 30 Words: A Devotional for the Rest of Us by Jarrid Wilson.