AUTHENTICALLY ME – A resolution to value myself and celebrate others
Supernatural Selection
Did you ever think about why you were born when you were and why you’re alive in 2012 and not 1812? I’ve got to admit, until I read this chapter I had never thought of that.
“God has selected you, and everything about you, to participate in the work He is doing at this point in history. Like a coach who methodically considers which runner to put on the track at particular stages of a relay race, God’s choice of you for this leg of the marathon was by design. That’s why you’re here. In this position.
Not because it has accidentally happened like this but because you have been known and chosen by the one Coach who sees you as uniquely suited, equipped, and capable of carrying out such amazing plans with such intricate precision.”
Wow. It gets better though. Check out this verse to a young Jeremiah, straight from the Lord’s mouth:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart as a prophet to the nations.” -Jeremiah 1:5
While those are very specific words to Jeremiah, the truths that God knows, chose and set apart every believer is no different.
“He set you apart. You’re not like all the other relay runners. If you spend all your time looking at the runner behind you or focusing on the one ahead of you, wishing you had their skills and talents, your lane will go unattended.”
This is what really hit me:
“Being ‘set apart’ carries the idea of being dedicated for a specific use at a specific time, being reserved for those opportunities when (and how and where) you can best be used, when you can most be yourself.”
APPLICATION
Wow. This time for me is from 1989 to whenever I finally get to see my Savior face-to-face. It’s not a coincidence I was born in this era or that you were born in this era. This is when God knew you would be best fit to carry out His plan. He knew He would get the most glory from your life by you being born at this exact time. What a beautiful thought.
I can only reason in my limited mind that means I should value even more what God has allowed me to be apart of right now in history. If I would have been born in the 1950s or in the Victorian Age I wouldn’t be working at Real Truth Matters or writing for the magazine. I wouldn’t have gone to Murray State and grown so much closer to Him because of it. I wouldn’t be blogging (or on the internet at all) and who knows if I would even be a Christian or in a family with parents who seek God together.
If I was born in 1812 would I care about world missions or desire to share the glory of God with the nations? Would I be as hungry for God as I am now? I don’t know, but this I do know–God set me apart for this time in history.
I don’t know if that hit you with the same force it hit me, but that both excites and humbles me. Why?
Because God–the Creator of the universe, the Maker of the mountains, the One who breathes out the stars and formed the oceans, the One who created the intricacies of the human body and the wonder of sand, grass and trees–knows me. He knows my name and He knows yours. He knows your insecurities, your heart, your likes and dislikes, your strengths and weaknesses, your comings and goings, and how to fill your deepest needs.
And that very same God, who knows the end from the beginning and all the in-betweens, designed you and me to be at this place at this time for a specific reason. A reason He has given us a glimpse of:
Because He knew He would get the most glory of of your life by you being born at this exact time.
No matter what you face or where you go, God is with you and has sovereignly take you there to carry out a plan designed for your good and His glory.
Dear God,
Thank You for calling me. For placing me where I am right now to fulfill your purposes in ways that I’ve never imagined. Thank You for calling me still, beckoning me away from the frivolous matters of the world that seek to capture my heart and distract from the mission–the mission to passionately and persistently pursue You in this life and in all of eternity. You are beautiful.
STUDY QUESTIONS:
What are some minor incidentals you’ve allowed to shape your self-image or self-worth?
How has the decorating scheme of your life turned out differently than you would like as a result of that?
Read 1 Peter 2:9-10 and record the statements of value declared concerning you. Make a point of really studying and meditating on this Scripture, digging more deeply into the truths revealed.
Choose at least one of the following verses to study and memorize:
*Ephesians 2:10–a declaration of your importance to God
*Jeremiah 1:5–a confirmation of your selection by God
*2 Corinthians 3:5–a verification of your sufficiency in God
Consider the things you may have failed to do because you felt ill equipped or unworthy to participate. Choose one of them to begin doing this week.
Sophie Miller 