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AUGUST 25, 2015
You are Accepted |
"… to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:6 (NKJV)
Several years ago, my friend Lisa was going through a crafty phase and wanted to make a piece of word art for me. So, she texted this question: "If one word could become a reality in your life, what would it be?"
Girl, this took me awhile! The one word that kept coming to mind was "accepted," but I was too embarrassed to admit that feeling accepted was what I really longed for.
I was a Christian, so I knew God accepted and loved me unconditionally. Wasn’t that already a reality in my life?
The reality was, I was afraid God accepted everyone but me.
In pondering my one word, God began to show me that I associated my performance with my acceptability.
Here’s what I (wrongly) believed: If I am good, I am acceptable. If I help people … if I am a blessing instead of a burden … well, then I am accepted. But, if I fail, blow it or mess up, then I feel like a reject — not acceptable to me, not to others and certainly not to God.
My skewed belief was I was acceptable only when I was at the top of my game or in the center of God’s will. Clearly, I had not truly embraced my identity in Christ because acceptance is what I already have.
So, I texted Lisa back with my one word that I needed to embrace and believe: accepted.
Lisa’s gift showed up in the mail a week later. It was a wooden ledge with the Scrabble letters A-C-C-E-P-T-E-D glued on it. This is a treasure to me because it is a constant reminder to see what I already have in God rather than seek it in the wrong ways and places.
Lots of us struggle with trusting the truth that we’re acceptable to and accepted by God. We are accepted not because of what we do or don’t do; we are accepted not because of how we succeed or if we’re good. We are accepted not because of who we are, but because of who God is.
God loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) and to as many as receive Him, He gives the power to be sons and daughters of God (John 1:12). Talk about accepted!!
We are not only accepted "in" the beloved, we are accepted "by" the Beloved Himself!
My Scrabble word "accepted" reminds me I already have what I want. When I am feeling less than acceptable, I hold it in my hand, wrap my fingers around it and the truth it represents, and tell myself, "This is what God gave me. This is who I am."
Can you take that truth in?
If you feel invisible, it may be because, deep down, you never really embraced the truth about yourself — that you are accepted by God, admired by Him and have His full and unconditional love.
Just like Lisa glued the word "accepted" to a Scrabble ledge for me, ask God to glue the word "accepted" to your heart so that, with every heartbeat, this truth is reinforced and becomes woven into the very fiber of your being.
Oh my friend, you are accepted by God. That is your reality.
When you accepted Christ, He accepted you. You may sometimes feel rejected, but how you feel is not who you are! You are acceptable, accepted — no exceptions!
Lord, please write this truth on my heart. Help me trust what You say about me more than I trust how I may feel about myself. Protect me from the lies that tell me I am what I do or how I feel. Thank You for accepting and loving me without conditions. I love You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Hosea 2:19-20, "I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the LORD." (NASB)
RELATED RESOURCES:
Invisible: How You Feel Is Not Who You Are by Jennifer Rothschild affirms that no matter who or where you are, God sees you and loves you faithfully.
For more encouragement and freebies from Jennifer, visit her website.
Enter to WIN a copy of Invisible: How You Feel is Not Who You Are by Jennifer Rothschild. In celebration of this new book, Jennifer’s publisher is giving away 10 copies. Enter to win by leaving a comment here, letting us know why you’d like a copy for yourself OR whom you would give the book to, if you won. {We’ll randomly select 10 winners and email notifications to each one, by Monday, August 31.}
REFLECT AND RESPOND:
You are indeed accepted in the beloved and by "The Beloved!" Stop right now and ask God to help you receive and believe you are accepted and acceptable.
Your acceptability is not based on your failure or past. Your acceptability is not based on your success or virtues. Your acceptability is not based on what you do, what you did, haven’t done, should have done, or wished you’d done. Your acceptability is based on who God is!
© 2015 by Jennifer Rothschild. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries thanks Harvest House for their sponsorship of today’s devotion.
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