Chosen Grace

The other day, Saturday to be exact, I was at a an outdoor concert. It featured all the best gospel artists. My favorite performer was Kirk Franklin.

As Kirk Franklin and his choir played and sung, a lady stood out to me. She was moving and jiving, without a care in the world. She seemed to be caught up in the Spirit.

But something in me thought that she was faking it. I immediately scolded myself, telling myself that she was serious. She was sure of herself, positive of herself.

And that leads me to what I want to talk about in this blog post, which is personal assertion.

You see, interpersonal assertion is knowing ones inner self. It is about knowing who you are exactly. And for the Christian, it is about knowing who you are in Christ. Who you are in Christ holds major worth.

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” — 1 Peter 3:3-4

Peter wrote these verses to assure women that it is not about the outward appearance that makes you beautiful, but about what is on the inside. And the same concept holds true today. Not just for women. But men, the elderly, children. And especially you and me.

You see, Peter was right in the verses above. Your beauty comes from your inner self. God takes great pride in our inner spirit, which should always be reflective of Christ. For as God told Samuel when He chose David, He does not look at outward appearance but at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

But honestly, it is hard walking by your spirit of faith and not by sight. Sometimes we question ourselves and sometimes we question ourselves in Christ Jesus. I did it just last week. I began to ask and wonder: Why, Lord? What’s so better about them….what’s wrong with me.

Truth be told, there was nothing wrong with me. And there is nothing wrong with me. And there is nothing wrong with you. Every child of God has a light on the inside of them that can not be put out. When you are a Child of God, your flame is eternal. Your light is forever shining. And God will be pleased.

But, in that moment, when I was questioning my worth, I had to remind myself of who I belong to. I had to remind myself of God’s eternal promises. So I began to seek. And I came across this eternal promise:

“For you created me in my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb…..Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139: 13, 16

My main man David knew exactly what he was talking about in this Psalm. David knew what it felt like to doubt ones worth. And God sent him this revelation in the verses above.

Verse 13 simply shows that God knows his children. He was with us when we were in our mother’s womb. He saw, and sees, every move we make. God knows what makes us cry, laugh, or even upset. God knows.

Most importantly, God knows the days of our lives. He ordained them. Meaning he himself set us for such a time as this. God put us where we are. He sees our worth.

Although God may see our worth, we may not. Because our enemy does not want us to realize who we are in Christ Jesus. He wants us to fail. He wants to keep us bonded by his most powerful tactic: fear.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” — 1 John 4:18. 

John was right on top of the enemy when he wrote this. Because as I stated before, fear is one of Satan’s biggest tactics. As believers, we can’t fear. But yet we do.

God is love, and if you fear, that is not God. God can not go against himself and he is merciful.

What I’m simply trying to say is that when you fear, it is nothing but the enemy trying to distract you from your worth. He knows you have worth. So do not be fooled, even the enemy himself sees how worthy you are. 

Although John outlined for us that there is no fear in love in the verse above, he also outlined the fact that perfect love drives out fear. God drives out fear. When you and I begin to trust God, he will show us that we are indeed loved by him. His perfect and never failing love will always keep you and show you the truth masked behind the enemy’s lies.

Now, I have one more thing to address before I close. Jesus had fears too. Yep, he sure did. In the Garden of Gethsemane, on the night in which he was betrayed, Jesus had some doubts. He questioned God about his worth as well. He was indeed fearful.

But he allowed God to use him. He allowed God to be glorified through his actions. And in return, God glorified him.

What I want you to see is that even our Savior had some fears and some doubts. But when he trusted in God, he was ok. Jesus had to trust in God to see his worth. And so do you and I.

We are worthy. We are worth much more than the birds. I repeat: we are worthy.

It is hard sometimes to fully access your worth. But through God’s eternal promises, and knowing that even our Savior had some doubts, we too can succeed.

And just like the lady who was jiving and worshiping, we too can know ourselves.

Because once you know yourself- you know your worth. 

With love and newfound worth,

Malaysia.