Grace For The Journey

  When was the last time you wondered, “Do I matter?”  Notice I did not ask, “Have you ever wondered, ‘Do I matter?’”  We have all wondered if we matter, and for many of us it was on more than one occasion . . . and recently!

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Mind over matter; I don’t mind and you don’t matter?”  The world says you matter only to the extent that you have power, position, prestige, prosperity, or pedigree.  We live in a world that judges a man by the size of his bankroll and a woman by her external beauty.

But in God’s economy, the world has been turned upside down.

The Bible says in 1 Samuel 16:7, “The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him.  For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’”

Here is great news . . . You matter to the only One who truly matters!

You matter to God, not because of what you have or what you have done, but because of who you are – You are created by God and have the opportunity to know His love and life in Jesus.

Let me ask you a question, “What do birds, hairs, and flowers have in common?”  They all matter to God, and are continually under His divine care.  Because “God doesn’t make any junk,” everything He has made matters to Him.

The Bible says in Luke 12:6-7, 24, 27, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered” … “Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds” … Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”

Perhaps you are going through a difficult season right now and feel like you don’t matter much to anyone, including God.  Maybe you feel unimportant, unwanted, under-appreciated, or unloved.  Is it possible you feel like you are only a number at work, a nobody at church, and a knucklehead at home?  If that is the case, this blog is written to cheer you up!

The Bible teaches us that birds matter to God … and flowers matter to God … If the Creator of the universe takes special care of birds and flowers, how much more will He take care of you!  The fact that He knows the number of hairs on your head no matter how plentiful or sparse they might be) should be a source of great comfort to you today.

You matter to God more than you could ever imagine!

He knows the nights we toss and turn on our beds; the Bible even says He knows the number of ever tears we’ve shed (Psalm 56:8 – “You number my wanderings; put my tears into your bottle; Are they not in Your book?!”

Unlike birds and flowers, you were made in the image of God.  To be sure, since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden, that image has been marred, twisted, and stained with sin, but still it is the image of God.  As His image bearers, God is infinitely more concerned for you than anything else in the entire universe.  So much so, He sent His only Son to the cross to pay the penalty for your sin.

You matter to God, and that should matter to you!

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”