The one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders. _Deuteronomy 33:12_ NIV
If you struggle with feelings of unworthiness; praying longer, working harder and vowing to do better won't change your feelings! Like remodeling an old house with a cracked foundation, you can redecorate every room but the floors and ceilings will just keep sagging until eventually it collapses. You've got to address the foundation. That means seeing yourself as God sees you! Only then will you experience the stability, fulfillment and the peace He wants you to enjoy. "How does God see me?" you ask. He sees you as: Lovable. His Word to you is: "You are precious... and I love you" _Isaiah 43:4_ NLT. "Who loves you?" God! Listen again: "The one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders." Sounds like a pretty secure position to be in, don't you think?
Valuable. If you grew up feeling ignored or unwanted, you got the wrong message. You're so valuable to God that, "He purchased our freedom through the blood of His Son" _Ephesians 1:7_ NLT. How's that for value? God loves you "Calvary worth" and that'll never change!
Capable. Without a supportive environment to grow up in, you can end up with a diminished sense of ability. It's why so many of us try to compensate by overachieving. God knows you're capable, because He's "given... you... special abilities" ( 1 Peter 4:10 TLB).
Furthermore, He's "set us down in... company with Jesus" _Ephesians 2:6
So stay in your seat and don't let anybody tell you your life doesn't matter. It does, because "God says so"!
At Calvary
Years I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary.
Refrain
Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary.
By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;
Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,
Till my guilty soul imploring turned to Calvary.
Refrain
Now I’ve given to Jesus everything,
Now I gladly own Him as my King,
Now my raptured soul can only sing of Calvary!
Refrain
Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary!
Refrain
Daily Smile:
Did you hear about the scientist who crossed a carrier pigeon with a woodpecker?
He got a bird that not only delivers messages to their destination, but knocks on the door when it gets there.
In The News:
Syria Rebels Behead Christian, Feed Him to Dogs as Fears Grow Over Islamist Atrocities
Syrian rebels beheaded a Christian man and fed his body to dogs, according to a nun who says the West is ignoring atrocities committed by Islamic extremists, ASSIST News Service reports. According to Britain's Daily Mail, Sister Agnes-Miriam de la Croix said taxi driver Andrei Arbashe, 38, was kidnapped after his brother was heard complaining that fighters against the ruling regime behaved like bandits. She said his headless corpse was found by the side of the road, surrounded by hungry dogs. He had recently married and was soon to be a father. "His only crime was his brother criticized the rebels, accusing them of acting like bandits, which is what they are," Sister Agnes-Miriam said. According to the Daily Mail, there have been a growing number of accounts of atrocities carried out by rogue elements of the Syrian Free Army, which opposes Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and is recognized by the West as the legitimate leadership. "The free and democratic world is supporting extremists," Sister Agnes-Miriam said. "They want to impose sharia law and create an Islamic state in Syria. ... The uprising has been hijacked by Islamist mercenaries who are more interested in fighting a holy war than in changing the government. It has turned into a sectarian conflict -- one in which Christians are paying a high price." An estimated 300,000 Syrian Christians have been displaced in the conflict, with 80,000 forced out of the Homs area alone. Many have fled abroad, raising fears that Syria's Christian community may vanish like others across the Middle East. Since the uprising against the Assad regime began in March 2011, some 60,000 have been killed.
15 Christians Have Throats Slit by Boko Haram Extremists in Northern Nigeria
At least 15 Christians were killed by suspected Boko Haram militants in northern Nigeria on Dec. 28 when the militants snuck into Musari, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Maiduguri, early in the morning and slit the throats of the Christians in their own homes, International Christian Concern reports. Nigerian military officials -- who often under-report the casualties in Boko Haram attacks -- put the death toll at five, but residents of Musari and other relief organizations put the number at 15. According to a resident, the militants were specifically targeting Christians because they broke into only Christian homes in an area of Musari that is predominantly Christian. A relief official added that the victims "were selected because they were all Christians, some of whom had moved into the neighborhood from other parts of [Maiduguri] hit by Boko Haram attacks." Since beginning its armed insurgency in 2009 in a campaign to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria's north, Boko Haram has killed more than 3,000 people in Nigeria. Christians in the region continue to live in a constant state of fear amid an increasing number of bombings, shootings and violent attacks.
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