loved by your creator

Who Am I?
· My name is John
· I’m 33 yrs old
· I am married to Michelle
· I am a father of two boys
· I love to hike I love the mountains
· I’m addicted to coffee – it does not matter what time of day it is –It’s coffee time
· I would like to be able to eat spicy food –but only because I feel like a wimp when I don’t
· I worry about what others think
· I have a nearly paralyzing fear of failure
· I don’t much like heights
· I can be a big jerk to my wife
· I can be a big jerk to my kids
· I’ve never been entirely happy with the way I look
· I have an issue with pride
· I don’t read my Bible every day or sometimes every week
· When I smash my finger or get angry I don’t always say ouch
· Forgiving others is hard
· I don’t really want to have the same grace toward others as I expect God to have on me
· I don’t always say yes to God
· I’m selfish
· I argue with God
· I put things off


Hopefully you can see that I don’t have everything together. In fact some days it feels like everything is falling apart.
I am far from perfect.

Now that you know me a little bit better let me share something with you that occurred last year at a church conference.

We were in a time of worship and they began playing a song that was an old chorus when I was young.

Lord, You are more precious than silver
Lord, You are more costly than gold
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds
And nothing I desire compares with you

I think this song was already special to me because when I was in my early 20’s and had decided to quit ignoring God this is the song that came back to me and I would sing it while I worked.

God made this song special in a new way.

As we were standing there singing God said to me you are...
YOU are more precious than silver
YOU are more costly than gold
YOU are more beautiful than diamonds

For an instant I argued with him --- no not me --- I know who I am --- not me!

God said no – I made you .... I made you precious, costly and beautiful

Then came the next line of the song
Nothing I desire compares with you

As that was my song to him 10+ years ago, that was his song to me.

However, it is not just God’s song to me. It is God’s song to all of us. Not because of anything we have done but because he made us precious, costly and beautiful.

He has made you in His image.

YOU are more precious than silver
YOU are more costly than gold
YOU are more beautiful than diamonds
Nothing He desires compares with you

I imagine some of you are looking at your life and saying not me.

You hear what someone told you years ago and you think “I’m not precious”.
You think of how you have been used by others and say “I’m not costly”
You look at your reflection and say “I’m not beautiful”

Do not allow these lies to steal away the love of God for you, his precious child.

You are loved.
You are loved by your creator.
You are loved by the God who made you in his image

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! …1 John 3:1