Treasured, Sacred, His

Although we are surrounded by a big, amazing universe, God isn't distracted for one second by any of it. More than anything else, God delights in you.

Take a moment to glory in this lyric from Matthew West, depicting God's feelings towards you:

"I love you more than the sun, and the stars, that I taught how to shine - you are Mine - and you shine for Me too; I love you! Yesterday, and today, and tomorrow I'll say it again and again: I love you more!" - Matthew West

In a world saturated with sin (if you could wring society out, it'd drip the stuff), it can be hard to see past all the lies telling us that we need to be more beautiful, more wealthy, more influential, more successful, and less ourselves. Behind the veil of lies we live in, there is a God that screams our beauty, riches, influence, success, and individuality. He doesn't need us to be more anything, because He already loves us more than anything.

I love the quote, sometimes cliche, saying: "There is nothing you could do to make God love you more, and nothing you could do to make Him love you less."

While God loves us a whole lot, it can be difficult for us to understand grace. It's very simple, and we tend to over think it. He loves us despite our failures. When we do wrong, He is disappointed, not loveless. In fact, His love isn't even diminished.

Jesus is looking forward to Wedding Day. The day when His bride, the global church, finally makes it home. When He can finally look upon her, in a spotless robe of His own making, and declare her beautiful. The thing we often forget is that He declares us beautiful right now, even in our muddied clothes. Beauty is simply a measure of value placed on someone or something; this is why every man can rightfully say of his wife, "She is the most beautiful." She has the most value in his own heart.

MercyMe's song "Beautiful" goes:

"You're beautiful, you're beautiful.
You were made for so much more than all of this.
You're beautiful, you're beautiful.
You are treasured. You are sacred. You are His.
You're beautiful." - MercyMe

Romans 5:8 says that while we were sinners, Jesus died for us. You were made for so much more than the anxiety, pain, and frustration you feel in your life. Do we use fine china for everyday dining? Why then do we take our hearts - an invaluable object - and commit them to mundane, or even evil, activities? Because of God's love for you, you can stop living an unsubstantial life.

You are treasured. No matter who you are, or what defines you, there is a God who deems you special. You are the most wonderful, most incredible, and most perfect candidate for the life you live. That's why God chose you for the job. He treasures you.

You are sacred. Set apart from the others. Set apart for God's service. Did you know that God deemed you special enough to allow you into His service? While it can be easy for us to write off God's calling on our life as something less 'fun' than what the world has to offer, it is an honor to be called into His service. Be it plumbing for a living, or on the mission field, God is glorified in His plan for you.

You are His. He doesn't only love us, but He calls us His own! For many of us, this is even more incredible when we consider our heritage; many of us are Gentiles. While Jesus came first to the Jews, and then to the Gentiles, we share in the same reward: Christ and the salvation that comes with Him. We are adopted into God's chosen race, the Israelites, and are able to have communion with Him! God calls us His because of His great, incredible love for us!

Relient K's song, "Getting into You," goes:

"I've been a liar, and I'll never amount to the kind of person You deserve to worship You. But You say that You will not dwell on what I did, but rather what I do, You say: 'I love you and that's what you are getting yourself into.'" - Relient K

When we commit to Jesus, we don't just commit to a harder, more difficult, more holy lifestyle. We also commit to a love that is unending, and that will follow us wherever we go. When we commit to Jesus, we 'get ourselves into' - no, not trouble - love.

God loves us with a love that is strong enough to smash through circumstance, resilient enough to last through trials, and warm enough to melt the coldest heart. It's dynamic, reckless, and dangerous. It's amazing, unfailing, and mysterious. You are always enough in Christ; nothing can take away your value. To reciprocate the amazing love of our God, let's #LiveItLikeJesus, for imitation is worshipful.