Romans 10:16-18 New King James Version (NKJV)
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:
“Their sound has gone out to all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world.”
Psalm 53:6 New King James Version (NKJV)
6 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When God brings back [a]the captivity of His people,
Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.
Proverbs 20:30 New King James Version (NKJV)
30 Blows that hurt cleanse away evil,
As do stripes the [a]inner depths of the heart.
Colossians 4:5-6 New King James Version (NKJV)
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
2 John 7-9 New King James Version (NKJV)
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that [a]we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.
9 Whoever [b]transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
Psalm 53:4-5 New King James Version (NKJV)
4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call upon God?
5 There they are in great fear
Where no fear was,
For God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you;
You have put them to shame,
Because God has despised them.
Proverbs 20:29 New King James Version (NKJV)
29 The glory of young men is their strength,
And the splendor of old men is their gray head.
Luke 10:22 New King James Version (NKJV)
22 All[a] things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
Isaiah 12:1-2 New King James Version (NKJV)
12 And in that day you will say:
“O Lord, I will praise You;
Though You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
2 Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’ ”
Psalm 53:2-3 New King James Version (NKJV)
2 God looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
3 Every one of them has turned aside;
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.
Proverbs 20:28 New King James Version (NKJV)
28 Mercy and truth preserve the king,
And by [a]lovingkindness he upholds his throne.
Colossians 4:2-4 New King James Version (NKJV)
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the [a]mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
Colossians 3:12-14 New King James Version (NKJV)
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
Psalm 53:1 New King James Version (NKJV)
5 The fool has said in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity;
There is none who does good.
Proverbs 20:27 New King James Version (NKJV)
27 The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord,
Searching all the [a]inner depths of his heart.
Micah 4:1-5 New King James Version (NKJV)
4 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And peoples shall flow to it.
2 Many nations shall come and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion the law shall go forth,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He shall judge between many peoples,
And rebuke strong nations afar off;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into [a]pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.
4 But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree,
And no one shall make them afraid;
For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
5 For all people walk each in the name of his god,
But we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
Forever and ever.
Joshua 24:16-18 New King James Version (NKJV)
16 So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 17 for the Lord our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed. 18 And the Lord drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.”
Psalm 52:8-9 New King James Version (NKJV)
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
9 I will praise You forever,
Because You have done it;
And in the presence of Your saints
I will wait on Your name, for it [a]is good.
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV)
Stop what you are doing and come close. I want you to completely tune in to today's topic. Answer this question - how do you feel about yourself? Think before you answer because I want you to truly examine your heart before you respond. I ask this question because an alarmingly large proportion of those living today struggle with feeling insignificant. This idea of ourselves can begin in countless ways but the end result is the same. We wonder why we are even here.
Notice that I include myself in this. It is a battle I have fought for most of my life. Sadly, we spend far too much time feeling as if we don't fit in and far too little time seeking, examining and acknowledging what our Father in Heaven has to say. This must greatly please the enemy because when we are feeling sorry for ourselves our focus is not on the wonder and majesty of the Lord.
One of the things you will see me write often is how intimately the Lord desires to be involved in our lives. Psalm 139 tells us that He was with us in our mothers' wombs and saw us being formed. It also says that all of our days were written in His book before we even came to be. So important are we to Him that, as Isaiah 49:16 tells us, our names are engraved on His hand.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He was born for you and me. He left the beauty and perfection of Heaven to begin His life in a feeding trough. He spent His life teaching about who He is, and declaring His love for us. Ultimately, He was brutally beaten, belittled, spat upon and horrifyingly nailed to a cross and that also was for you and me. He gave His life to buy our pardon. So great is His love for us that He took upon Himself every sin that had ever, and would ever, be committed. Nails had no power over the Savior. The only thing strong enough to keep Him on that cross was love. Then He fulfilled His greatest promise and rose again. Even now He intercedes for us before the Father. Does this sound as though He feels we are insignificant?
I am all too aware that each of us faces hardships of one kind or another and that it is easy to feel that nothing ever seems to change for the better. We can feel isolated and that life is passing us by. When we sit and focus on ourselves we open the door for the enemy to whisper in our ears that our lives count for little, that few people care about us and that we have very little to contribute.
But, think about this....Almighty God, perfect in every way, chose to create this world and He didn't think it was complete without you. He made only one of each of us, so it stands to reason that we each have a purpose. You may never know how many lives you touch, how many hearts you impact. Like in the movie "It's A Wonderful Life", if you or I had not been born then this world would be totally different. Just consider - our children or grandchildren would never have been born. Do you think the world is a better place with them in it?
We have to change our focus. Spending more time in God's Word will fill our minds and hearts with His thoughts. Reaching out will lift up others who are struggling too. There is always a way to make a positive contribution. Ask the Lord to reveal to you a talent you may be unaware of or how to better use one you are aware of. Strive to bring joy to someone. Even if you just impact one life, to that one person you may be the most significant soul on earth.
I pray that we all might align ourselves with how Jesus sees us then find a way to share His love with as many other people as possible. May your day, and life, be blessed.
Proverbs 20:26 New King James Version (NKJV)
26 A wise king sifts out the wicked,
And brings the threshing wheel over them.
Deuteronomy 33:26-29 New King James Version (NKJV)
26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
Who rides the heavens to help you,
And in His excellency on the clouds.
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
He will thrust out the enemy from before you,
And will say, ‘Destroy!’
28 Then Israel shall dwell in safety,
The fountain of Jacob alone,
In a land of grain and new wine;
His heavens shall also drop dew.
29 Happy are you, O Israel!
Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord,
The shield of your help
And the sword of your majesty!
Your enemies shall submit to you,
And you shall tread down their [a]high places.”
