One of the biggest struggles in this generation is a sense of identity and purpose. What can I do? I am only a youth. Nobody cares about me or what I stand for. These are some of the things that go through everyone's head from time to time, sometimes on a daily basis. Culture tells us that if we don't wear a certain style of clothing or have the nicest car or live the rich life, we are not worth anything. And in order to "be anything" in the eyes of culture, we must conform to the ways that everyone is conformed to in order to be considered "cool". We don't realize that our value and our worth are not rooted in the flesh, but rather in spirit. Even before conception, God had a plan set in place for his people to do something big for his kingdom. Jeremiah 1:5 says that before we were formed in our mothers' womb, God knew us and consecrated us, setting us aside to be his people. Many times in life, people will devalue the life of an individual through their words and actions, this not always done with purposeful intent. When someone is devalued in the eyes of another, they begin to question if they have any worth at all. Unfortunately, the first place they look for it is not in the Father, but in other people. They begin to shift what makes them special in order to be liked or appreciated. They change who they are not because they want to, but because they think their uniqueness devalues, instead of enhances. In the book of Ephesians, chapter 2 verse 10, it says that we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which we are to walk in on this earth. This verse never mentions that we are made in the flesh, but the Son. We were created to use our special gifts and talents given to us by the Father to help bring the world back to the Father, yet we think that if we hide those talents to be like everyone else, we will be better off. Finding identity in the flesh can only satisfy ourselves for so long, before we completely forget who we are in Christ and continue down the path of conformity and complacency that the Devil tells us we must live. Turn on the TV, and you are likely to stumble upon some product that will make your life better, and the scary thing is that people fall prey to these traps of the enemy every day. When these things are promoted, it makes you look at your life and throw yourself a pity party, causing you to act without thinking and giving in to the lies. "But the Lord said to Samuel,'Do not look at his appearance, nor his height or stature, for man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart."-1 Samuel 16:7. Are you getting what I am saying here? In this passage of scripture, Samuel has come to anoint the next king of Israel from the house of Jesse, from the tribe of Judah. David had 7 older brothers who were strong, fit and handsome and Samuel assumed that God must want one of these because he was only looking at what man saw, yet God knew their hearts and they were not want he was after. After rejection of the other brothers, Samuel asks Jesse if there are any others. Jesse sends for shepherd boy David who is only on his late teens at the time, who probably didn't smell the best or look at the best, yet he was chosen as king, because his heart was in the right place. God doesn't want to people who look good on the outside, but are ugly on the inside, he wants to one who don't need physical beauty to be spiritual beautiful.
So let us not value ourselves by what the world sees, but by what God sees. Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and we wouldn't want God's presence living in a dirty hut, but a beautiful palace. In order to do that, we must realize that living to worldly standards will never get us there, but only by surrendering ourselves to the Father, not caring how the world looks at us, but only about what God sees in us.
I want each of you reading this to change some words around from "Who am I?" to "Who I am!" We are Friends of God. He looks at us and sees a beautiful canvas ready to be painted on. We were made in his image and created for his purpose. "For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord,'plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future"-Jeremiah 29:11
Adam Semple- a young man on a mission from God
Such a great word!
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