“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”
– Ephesians 1:3-6
Happy Thanksgiving from the Hour of Power and Shepherds Grove family! We can each take an opportunity to pause and simply practice gratitude. We can be thankful to God for His generous mercy, compassion, glory, and, most importantly, His amazing love. The more we thank Him, the more we will naturally thank and bless those around us. A few days ago, we shared how each of us has a worldview through which we see our circumstances, and we discussed how that worldview must answer four basic questions. For the next four days, I want to discuss each question and point out how the Kingdom of God provides the answer. The first question to be answered by any viable worldview is Who am I? Many of you who watch the broadcast are familiar with the Creed of the Beloved. In essence, the Creed is our ministry and congregation’s attempt to answer the question of who we are in Jesus. Naturally, knowing who we are requires knowing who we are not. We say, “You’re not what you do, you’re not what you have, and you’re not what people say about you.” You are beloved sons and daughters of God! To use Dallas Willard’s words, “You are an unceasing spiritual being with an eternal destiny in God’s great universe.” You’re the beloved, you will never die, and there is a great plan for your life; that’s the good news of the Kingdom of God! Through the death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus has made you perfect; you have complete acceptance and access to God in Him. That’s who you are — believe it and build your life upon it! |
Prayer
God, thank you for accepting me in your Beloved Son, Jesus, and for giving me an identity that is grounded in your love.
Reflection
How does knowing who you are make it easier to live in the fullness of God’s Kingdom?
If you’re unable to attend your local church or need some additional weekly inspiration, be sure to tune into Hour of Power every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. PT on TBN or watch online at hourofpower.org/episode.