God's Roadmap

Now may the Lord Jesus Christ and our Father God, who loved us and in his wonderful grace gave us eternal comfort and a beautiful hope that cannot fail, encourage your hearts and inspire you with strength to always do and speak what is good and beautiful in his eyes (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 TPT).


Thursday, January 6, 2022

Start the Year the Best Way - Know You Matter to God

 


by Barbara Latta

Do you ever feel as if you are simply a number in the mass population of this world? With over 7 billion people occupying this planet, it’s easy to feel insignificant. We may struggle with what purpose we have or what can we as one person do to make any difference.

We may have read John 3:16 over and over and know that God loved the world so much He gave us Jesus. But we may struggle with how much we matter to Him as individuals.

Thoughts rise in our minds that compare us to the great Christian trail blazers, those who have influenced the world with their words and works. I have struggled with this at times.

The best way we can start this year is to know we matter to God.

We can see how important one person’s life is when we look at the story of the Samaritan woman.

Jesus left Judea to go to Galilee. In that day, Jews did not travel through Samaria. They would take the longer way around to avoid putting their feet on the soil of a despised race. Except for Jesus.

The scripture tells us that Jesus “needed” to go through Samaria. He knew a woman with a broken heart and a spiritual thirst would be there (John 4:1-25).


She mattered to Him. She mattered so much He changed His route just to be where she was.

Jesus ministered to her soul and healed her hurts by accepting her despite her sin and failures. His words changed her destiny. He broke religious tradition and racial prejudice because she was important.

As we enter a new year and the despair, heartbreak, and loss of last year threatens to overwhelm us, our soulish health depends upon changing our focus. We can look to the future with hope when we know how much we matter to the heavenly Father.

He doesn’t put our value on our great accomplishments. He doesn’t lessen our value by our failures. Our value is on the sacrifice His Son made for each of us. We were worth dying for.

He speaks to us as individuals. He is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9).

He meets us where we are like He did with the Samaritan woman. You matter. I matter. We all matter to Him. He wants our fellowship. He wants us to let Him love us.

We can start the new year with our gift to Jesus by accepting His love and letting Him show us how important we are. Know you matter to God.

This year I am focusing on and studying the deeper meaning of agape love. 

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. (1John 4:18-19 NKJV)

When we realize how important we are to the Lord, His love casts out all the fears that can attack us about our significance. One of the qualifications of a Titus 2 woman is to be a teacher of good things. And the love of God is the best thing we can learn more about. 

Will you begin the new year with the image of how much our heavenly Father’s heart reaches out to you?

Join the conversation and share your thoughts.

We can start the new year by accepting Christ’s love and letting Him show us how much we matter to God (click to tweet) 


 

 

 

12 comments:

  1. Not sure that I've felt "insignificant", as I matter to me, but I sure have felt "invisible" in my life. Especially in my early life before the truths of God's word as you share in this post came to live within me. Realizing now that my salvation brought forth a new life; one where Christ lives in me, means that I'll never again be insignificant or invisible to God, because when He seems me, He's really seeing His Son. For those who don't know Christ personally and wholly yet, God sees you, and He so longs for you to return home little sheep. God's blessings my friend, and even though you are far from home again for just a little while, you remain solidly in our hearts and prayers each day.

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    1. J.D., as you said when Christ comes to live inside us God sees His Son in us. It is our prayer for all unbelievers to realize this and come to know Him and become one of his sheep. Thanks for sharing your humble heart. Blessings and prayers to you and Ms. Diane!

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  2. Such a reassuring post, Barbara. Thank you. We know how much God loves us by the gift of His Son for us, yet I think we doubt that God loves us as an individual. I suppose it is our own insecurity and unworthiness. But that's the beauty of it--God/Jesus/Holy Spirit loves us in spite of our unworthiness. Your message is a beautiful way to start the new year. Wishing you a blessed 2022, my friend.

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    1. Our insecurities evolving from our past experiences are part of what makes us feel unworthy. But thanks be to God, His love is given to us through grace. We don't deserve it but He gives it. Thanks for sharing, Katherine, and blessings for the new year to you too!

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  3. This is such a good reminder Barbara. When I was younger I had problems accepting God’s love because I didn’t think I deserved it. Now as a retired writer and Grami, I sometimes feel insignificant. But I know He loves me and I just need to remember He meets me where I am.

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    1. Candi, I had the same problems when I was younger. I felt like I just blended in and sought to reach God through performance. Thankfully through inspired teaching of His Word, I received the grace He so freely gives. Thanks for sharing. Blessings for the new year!

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  4. I was reading about how someone preaching on John 3:16 transformed D. L. Moody and his preaching. God loves me! What an awesome truth.

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    1. His love is an amazing truth for all of us. Thanks for sharing, Debbie. Blessings!

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  5. Barbara, this is a beautiful, tender reminder of God's amazing grace towards us. I felt insignificant for many years and I know it is pain. Oh, that others might see His love in me.

    Blessings,
    Tammy

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    1. Tammy, I do know that pain as well. It is because of not realizing the power of what Jesus had already done. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!

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  6. I'm so grateful that Jesus has gone "out of His way" so many times for me. Thank you, Barbara, for this reminder of truth today.

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    1. I am grateful for how many times Jesus takes care of me too, Annie. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!

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