| Good Morning Everyone, Our theme for this month: “You are loved” Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope and glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Yes, He likes you. He really, really likes you.” Probably one of the best remembered and most embarrassing moments in the history of the Motion Picture Academy Awards occurred in 1984 when Sally Fields won the Oscar for Best Actress. During her acceptance speech, as the audience of stars and V.I.P.s applauded for her, she was overcome by emotion and with tears in her eyes she gushed, “Right now I can’t deny that you like me! You really, really like me!” It was a sad spectacle, a window into the heart of a secretly insecure woman. Despite all her years of fame and fortune, despite millions of adoring fans and numerous awards for theatrical achievements, deep down Sally Fields still wasn’t sure if she was even liked or not. That’s also the case for many Christians. Deep down we wonder how and why God could love us. We know ourselves too well. We know who we really are and what we’re really like. And so, knowing ourselves as we do, and realizing that nothing is hidden from God, we wonder how He can even like us, never mind love us. Paul answers that for us in Romans 5:1-2. There we read that we stand holy and righteous before God, fully pleasing to Him and fully accepted by Him, because of our faith in His Son Jesus Christ. It’s Jesus who brings us into a relationship of full acceptance and unconditional love with Father God. In the excellent Bible study, “The Search for Significance: Build your Self-Worth on God’s Truth”, one of the first lessons we learn is “Because of Christ’s redemption, I am a new creation of infinite worth. I am deeply loved, I am completely forgiven, I am fully pleasing. I am totally accepted by God. I am absolutely complete in Christ.” The rest of the study is all about helping us to embrace and live by that truth. Sally Fields struggled with doubts about whether she was liked by her peers, and she was overjoyed to the point of tears to discover some amount of momentary acceptance from them. As a Christian you are more than just “liked” by God, you are loved by Him – deeply, fully, unconditionally loved. Yes, He really, really likes you but more than that, He really, really loves you. God Bless, Pastor Jim |
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