Jesus Loves Me!

 

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.  (Romans 5:6-10 ESV).

 

Self-degradation is a common theme in our culture. And, it is simply wrong-headed. It is so easy to tear ourselves down. We all know the dialog. It is so easy to step into the pattern of self -degradation and walk its familiar path. It has become altogether too easy for many to think so lowly of themselves. It has been easier to stop listening to what God says about us and start caring more about what others think. We need to find the path towards renewing our mind and our self-image with the Word of God. It’s time to rediscover our biblical self-worth and overcome an increasingly toxic worldview.

 

The key is in learning how to talk to ourselves. There is always “more” or “better” that can be done. However, God has not chosen us based on what we have done; He has chosen us based on what He has done. We should learn to talk to ourselves in terms of faith instead of fear, forgiveness instead of guilt and shame. This is made all the more difficult by our culture. We are told to do more. We come to the conclusion that if we only prayed more, or memorized more Scripture, or attended more Bible studies, then we’d be able to live more like all their smiling, hymn-singing friends flooding their social media feeds. However, all this merely leads to temporary behavior modification at best, leaving us feeling worse than before.

 

As a result, we’ve traded the life-affirming growth of Christ for perfectionism. Perfectionism paralyzes every time. It eventually drags us backward as we substitute time with our Savior, simply resting in His presence — no hiding, conniving, or striving — with checking off lists and following rules. Our source of power, hope, and life slips through our consciousness. Instead, let me encourage you to develop a robust understanding of grace. With that you may mentally hit pause and remind yourself of what you know to be true: Jesus loves you, has died for you, forgiven you, and is growing within you. That’s where strength, freedom, and life-change are found. Go ahead, sing it again… Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!