Keys to the Kingdom
I live in the country and I’ll be the first to admit that my yard is not perfect. The Better Homes and Gardens team will not be doing an article on my place! Nonetheless, I mow the three-acre property and it looks good from a distance. But for about three weeks in the spring you can see those puffy dandelions. I always thought these weeds were worthless, but after some research, I changed my attitude toward them. I discovered that dandelions serve a purpose in nature because they’re valuable to birds, bees, and little wild animals.
If you ever feel like a bump on a log, worthless, insecure, or unimportant, you need to understand that Jesus says you have great value. “What is the price of two sparrows — one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31 NLT). Believers are not to place their confidence in education, wealth, social privilege, or good looks. God alone, not things, should be our true source of confidence. “We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort (Philippians 3:3 NLT). It’s comforting to know that there’s nothing we can do to make God love us any more or any less.
You can’t be worthless because Jesus believed you were worth dying for. You’re important enough for God to want to be your partner…like two peas in a pod. God wouldn’t trade you for a farm in Texas! If you need to change your old negative attitude toward yourself, then do it. Choose to believe what God says about you and reject the lies Satan whispers to your soul. “But if one loves God truly [with affectionate reverence, prompt obedience, and grateful recognition of His blessing], he is known by God [recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love, and he is owned by Him]” (1 Corinthians 8:3 AMP). To be known by God is to be accepted as His redeemed child and to have fellowship with Him.
The devil wants you to feel insecure and doubt God’s love so you’ll be afraid to reach out for His help. But your heavenly Father wants you to come boldly to Him: “Let us have confidence then, and approach God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it” (Hebrews 4:16 GNT). When believers stand on the promises of God, we will have confidence that He will do what He says.
If you’re continually down on yourself, do some research in God’s Word and discover you’re not just a bump on a log. God thinks you’re very special and He‘s adamant about His love for you. “Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of My hands“ (Isaiah 49:15,16 NLT). “Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence“ (2 Corinthians 5:17 GW).
The Key: Live and think like the valuable person you are in Christ, not the bump on a log you thought you were.