by David Brenneman
"The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?" Exodus 4:11.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5.
"For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You." Psalms 139:13-18.
"As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." John 9:1-3.
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Ephesians 2:10.
My life might be personified in these passages by way of defining what my life has been and quite literally what it was defined to be. A life in Christ because of Christ and for Christ. Unique in its inception throughout its days and culminating in that day that I stand before Jesus to give an account of my life before Him.
I was born with both visible and invisible birth defects. No one, not my parentage, not my genes, not anything of this world is at fault for the conditions under which I find myself living.
The Scriptures that we shared this morning I likely will use at some of the opening portions of my book..
because they're about me.
They might just be about you too.
How you are, why you are is wrapped up in the life you were given to live in this here this now in human history for Jesus's plan and purpose to reach the lost among you in a way that you, my Dear Reader, were uniquely made for.
You weren't made in any way, shape, or form, a mistake.
You are beloved of God in Christ Jesus. He loved you so much, loves you so much, that He came and lived a sinless life then after being cruelly mistreated died on a cross to rise again 3 days later to grant you eternal life in His Name.
Not a day has gone by that you have ever been forgotten by Jesus.
The same wonderful Scriptures say that our names are written on the palms of His hands. The very thoughts of us are ever before Him.
Perhaps, and I know that I was lead to bring this up before now and must say it again, the worst thing taught in schools is our comparison of ourselves to others.
It should never cross our minds to compare ourselves to others in Christ. We and they are at different places in our growth in Christ. We have differing gifts as the Spirit saw fit to bestow upon us. We are at different places in our walk with Jesus. We are to support and uplift each other in Christ...but we are not all the same in Christ.
You are not defective.
You are not defined by the world.
You are not the sum of your past mistakes.
Just because you aren't like others that in no way diminishes your life in the eyes of your Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
The truth is Satan's schemes include berating, belittling, harassing, and in every other way, your value in your eyes.
Read that last sentence again.
Your value in your eyes. As long as we allow him to get us to devalue ourselves we won't try to accomplish that which is ours to do in Christ Jesus. There's your reason as to why others and perhaps your views of you are what they are.
Speak truth to all that is against what the Bible says you are in Christ. I went through DECADES of being immersed in Satan's negative attacks upon my heart and mind to the point that in 1999 he tried to push me to the brink of committing suicide. But in that moment, my Savior Jesus Christ, said enough was enough and reached down and pulled me out of that abyss. He showed me that my ways weren't working and that my life had to be unconditionally His...not just part of me.
When He set me back on solid ground He healed me of the wounds that were inflicted upon me. He did it. I regret nothing of turning my whole life over to Jesus. He's been my assurance that I am loved by Him. My Dear Reader He wants to do the same in you.
We lose nothing that wasn't worth losing by coming wholeheartedly to Jesus to be His. I don't miss anything that His Spirit had lead me to give up. His grace and mercy every day are a wonderful sight to see and experience.
Throughout these unemployed months He's kept me from the fears that grip most during such a storm. He is in full control of this storm. He takes away my fears and has replaced them with a peace that passes all understanding. Just as He said He would.
You have nothing to condemn yourself in the way you were born. Many a vibrant Christian person have physical affirmaties that live fully vibrant lives in Christ unlike any others.
I am half blind in one eye. Need glasses to compensate as well as to correct the vision I do have. I am not without joint pains now and again. I have unique food allergies. I have a metabolism that isn't normal. Yet I am exactly who Jesus made me to be to accomplish His work for me in this point in human history for His plan and purpose.
My hope and prayer is that you too might see that you are loved in Christ in a way that surpasses your understanding. We will spend eternity and never fully grasp how much Jesus loves us.
Don't look down on your condition.
Ask Jesus to still use you as He desires and give Him the glory great things He has done and will do in your life.
Ask Him to use you and show the fruit of His love to you in the lives that you are here to touch.
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.
A corporation not for profit.
La Habra, CA All rights reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment