Loved and important

Loved and important

Bible:Romans 8:15-17

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children (V.16).

Reading

Malcolm seemed confident as a teenager. But this confidence was a mask. In reality a miserable and aggressive home left him scared and desperate for love. He felt like his family’s problems were all his fault. “For as far back as I remember,” he said, “every morning I would go into the bathroom, look in the mirror and say out loud to myself, ‘You are stupid, you are ugly and it’s your fault.’” Malcolm’s self-hatred continued until his late teens, when he felt God speak to him very clearly one night about his Christian identity. “I realised that God loved me unconditionally and nothing would ever change that,” he remembered. “I could never embarrass God, and He would never reject me.” After three weeks of reflection and talking it over with people in his church, Malcolm looked in the mirror and spoke to himself differently. “You are loved, you are important,” he said, “and it’s not your fault.” Malcolm’s story shows what God’s Spirit does—He frees us from fear by showing how much we are loved (ROMANS 8:15,38-39). By His Spirit, God confirms that we are His children, with all the gifts and benefits that status brings (8:16-17; 12:6-8). Knowing this truth, we can begin to see ourselves correctly as our minds are made new in this reality (12:2-3). It’s been a few years now—and Malcolm still says those words each day, reinforcing who God says he is. In the Father’s eyes he is loved, important and a special child of God. And so are we.

THE BIBLE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MIRROR BY
WHICH WE CAN SEE OURSELVES.

Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries