You In The Eyes of God

 

At my parents’ new house in Paris, they used one room of the house as their private library. When I was helping them put the books on the shelf, I saw a small diary that written by hand writing “You in the Eyes of God” and there is my mom’s signature under the right corner on its cover. Don’t know why, I was tempted to saw the content of the diary. After I got permission from my mom to read her diary, at first I thought it was just a random thought of my mom but the more I read I became aware that the writing wasn’t just a random thought but rather to contemplation and it made my heart touched. My dear friend, this evening I love to share what my mom wrote about. Here it is…

You in the eyes of God

If Jacob saw Joseph as a good child,

If in the eyes of his ten brothers, Joseph was a useless dreamer

 If in the eyes of Midianite traders looked Joseph as a slave

If Potiphar saw Joseph as wise man, and as a lover in the eyes of Potiphar’s wife

In the eyes of God Joseph was an Egypt young king candidate.

 People could look you with the different point of view and assessment. So it is with God. God has His own way to see you through His eyes. God said,

For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

When you are disparaged by people around you, don’t be discouraged, don’t be disappointed, and don’t be sad, because God has His own way and reason how He sees and judges you. Only God knows who you really are.

If God wants and wills,

 An office boy in your office could be a CEO in your own company.

God could make nothing to be something, impossible to be possible

And,

He doesn’t care about your age. God blessed Abraham in his very old age.

He doesn’t care about your ability. God chose Moses as Leader of Israelites

He doesn’t care about your experience, He chose David a young shepherd as a King of Israel

He doesn’t care about the gender, He chose an orphan, Esther, as a queen

He doesn’t care about someone who have dark past, Paul had dark past but God chose him.

God doesn’t care about one’s social status. God choose a hated person, corruptor, traitor of the Nation, and sinner. God was choosing Zacchaeus’ house to stay.

How people look you, it doesn’t matter. How God looks you, it does matter.

In the eyes of God,

You are Father’s child

See what great 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)

You are the precious and Honor in the God’s sight, and loved by God.

Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you… (Isaiah 43:4)

You were redeemed by God, belongs to God

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. (Isaiah 43:1)

 You are protected by God

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:2)

The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. (Psalm 121:5)

You are no longer a servant, but God’s friend.

 I no longer call you servants; Instead, I have called you friends. (John 15:15)

You are set by God

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.  Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

God has wonderful plan for you

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.(Jeremiah 29:11)

You are who will always get the fulfillment of God’s promise

…not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. (Joshua 23:14)

You are who always get God’s help in the midst of the hard times

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

You are who always receive every of your prayers in the Name of God

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:22)

You were chosen by God with a special task. Bear fruit!

… But I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit (John 15:16)

After I read my mother’s writing I hug her and said, “Mom, thank you for this important reminder” then she said, “Finally you read it now.  Please always keep it in your heart and mind. When people degrade you, doubt your ability, or even maybe assume that you’re nothing, please remember that in the eyes of God you are so special because God created us in a special way. God ended His work with a “personal touch” God formed us from the dust of the earth and gave us live by breathing His own breath. And remember this; we also created in His likeness so we may rule over the other creatures. But don’t ever underestimate people around you for you don’t ever know what God’s plan to those around you. Be good always, my dear princess”

My Dear readers, not only for me, I hope and pray this post could be a reminder and strengthening for all of us. In the eyes of God we’re special. People might don’t like us, maybe we’re worthless in the eyes of human, but in God we’re precious, honored, and loved. Amen

Karina – Living by faith

“You in the Eyes of God” by Rebecca Fong

Image source: Google Images.

 

Crazy Thing Called…LOVE

There is an interesting song I found when my husband watching a video concert of Michael Buble. The song titled “Crazy little thing called love” That song says that love is a crazy thing. Well, I do agree and disagree. I do agree that love is a crazy thing because there is an incredible power behind the love. Love could change something impossible become possible. Love can move our heart to do any crazy things. Love can make us willing to do unreasonable things, or we might even be willing to sacrifice and be ready to die for the sake of someone we love. Love has a crazy power that’s able to break the wall of difference and unify the humankind diversity. Love makes the world go around! I am disagreeing if it is said in the song that love is a little thing! Love is a great thing! There is love quote said: A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love. Yes! That’s so true! We cannot live without love. Love has become an important aspect in human lives. There’s always a love in every side of our lives regardless of its form. My sister in Christ and blog friend Deborah Ann beautifully said in her poem: “When there is light, there is love. When there is hope, there is love. When there is happiness, there is love. When there is forgiveness, there is love…”

I always remember the story of Jacob and Rachel. For me their story was a very romantic love story. Jacob felt in love to Rachel and willing work to Laban for seven years to get Rachel. (Genesis 29:18 NIV) There is an interesting thing here. Seven years wasn’t a short time, but for Jacob it seemed like only a few days. Why Jacob could feel like that? Because Jacob really loves Rachel! Love be able to make time goes by so fast!

So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. (Genesis 29:20 NIV)

 Is the story end? No! Apparently, because there was a custom that the older daughter should get married first, then Jacob should to marry Rachel’s older sister, Leah. What was Jacob’s reaction? He was angry, disappointed, and refused to marry Leah? No! Jacob was willing to marry Leah and He had to work for seven years more. (Genesis 29:26-27 NIV) See? Jacob was able to do something that actually wasn’t wanted to do. He willingly married to someone who he didn’t love in order to could marry Rachel that he loved very much. Why Jacob could did like that? Once again, the answer is because love. Jacob really loves Rachel! Oh how deep and great the value of Jacob’s love to Rachel.

My dear friends, if for human the value of love was so great, so does the love’s value for God, even more than human. God is a figure who full of love. God is love! The way He loves us is an innumerable, amazing and very surprising! There was an indisputable proof about how great and marvelous His love to us. Written in very famous verse:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV)

An astonishing missions performed by Jesus who down into the world, taking the form of a servant, and was willing to underwent all with obedient, treated with inhumane unto death on the Cross. If we as the father then see our child experiencing all this for a purpose, whatever it is, what do we feel? I am unable to imagine what we feel as the father. But God still chose to allow His only begotten Son just for us so we all do not perish, but have eternal life. He did it all in order to save us from death, moving us to get into the salvation. Isn’t that amazing? Definitely, yes! A question arises, what we have done to God so that God was willing to do all that. If we’ve did amazing and extraordinary things so that God indebted to us? Absolutely no! In fact we did the opposite; we more often hurt and disappointed Him with our deeds that are contrary to His will. In fact we didn’t deserve all that has been done by God. But once again, God still decided to did an amazing thing for us. Not just a little thing, but an extraordinary thing! Why God was willing to do all that? What the power that was able to move God to take this astonishing decision? The one and only answer is: Love! For God so loved…! That’s a power called love, a great thing called love!

That’s why I don’t agree if love defined as a little thing. If we read and looking for quintessence of the entire Bible contents, then we will get love as the quintessence. It all comes down to Love. Paul remains us that love is the greatest.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV)

And the love became the first commandment as Jesus said:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37- 40 NIV)

If God so loved us, what about us today?  How deep and great our love to Him? How the quality of our personal relationship with God? Whether we felt the same way as Jacob? We always feel time is running so fast when we are in fellowship with Him and always feel our time is too short to express our gratitude for the all blessing that have been given to us? Or conversely, we feel so long and get bored when just for one hour we listening God speaks to us through the pastor’s sermon? Whether in our daily lives we have to apply the law of love to our fellow? How far we implement those verses above? Very ironic if God has said to love our neighbor as ourselves but the fact we are more love ourselves and don’t even care about our neighbor. Our lives instead filled with hatred, envy, arrogance, oppression, egoism, and so on. God has said firmly:

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8 NIV)

My dear friends, today as always I encourage all of us once again think and ponder how great our love’s value to our neighbor and especially to God our Father. Let’s take a moment to ponder everything that has done by God to us. God has poured out his love through the Holy Spirit. Please remember, has been poured out! Not will be poured or hopefully God willing to pour out! This means that there is a seed of love which has been embedded in our hearts. Let us continue to cultivate the seeds of love that has been in our hearts in order to continue to grow well so that every deed in our lives is always based on love.

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:5 NIV)

  And God has first amazingly loved us by died on the cross while we were still sinners.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NIV)

Furthermore, because He loves us, He adopted us as His child according His pleasure and will.

He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. (Ephesians 1:5-6 NIV)

If because of love God has done so many wonderful things for us, now what we will do for Him? If our earthly father so loved us, what we will do to him? I am definitely sure we will really love him even trying to love him more. We will always trying to not hurt, make him sad, and disappointing him. We will always do everything the best for him. So it is with our Heavenly Father! God longs for us to love Him and do the best for Him. God doesn’t say: “Give to me your one and only child” as a proof of our love to Him. God just wants us love Him with our heart, soul, mind. He just wants us always living in His righteousness, obedient to His command, please Him, and always glorifies Him in every step of our lives. God also wants us love our neighbor. It is simple, right? But in fact we have to admit that it is not as simple as that. Whether we could still love those who have hurt us? Whereas God said to us:

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44 NIV)

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God (1 John 4:7 NIV)

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13 NIV)

We would not be able to do all that if only rely on our own strength. Therefore, let’s ask  for strength to God through prayer, let the Holy Spirit always strengthen us to continue cultivate the seed of love that has been poured out into our heart and eventually people will see that in every of our deed always radiate the God’s true and perfect love. Let people know that through the crazy thing called love we could bring joy, peace, happiness, and goodness into this world. Amen.

Karina – Living by faith

Related article : Love the Lord and Love your neighbor as Yourself by Mark Shields

Special thanks to Deborah Ann for your beautiful poem.

To read the original poem “When there is Love” please click here

Love Quote by Max Muller from BrainyQuote.com

Image source: wallpaperbuzz.com