What I Told Your Daughter–How God Sees Her

Part 2—How God Sees You: Who You Really Are

Monday we talked about the unique person God made you to be. Today we will talk about how God sees you and why that matters.

First you need to know one thing about God. God loves you. 1 John 4:9, 10 tells us so. “God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

God gave everything He could give to make you right with Himself so you can have relationship with Him. God is all about relationship.

What would you personally give to save someone from destruction and death? Money, prayer, invite them into your home, donate a kidney? Would you give the person most precious to you? I wouldn’t. But that is exactly what God did. That is how much He loves you. God loves you so much. He wants a relationship with you now and forever.

1 John 4:8 explains God’s love this way, “God is love.” For God, love is more than an emotion. It is in His being. It is impossible for God not to love us.

Once I was checked into a conference by a man wearing a white polo shirt. I could see part of a U.S. Marine Corp tattoo peeking out from his sleeve. I asked, “Are you a former Marine?” Without missing a beat he replied, “There is no such thing as a former Marine, ma’am. Once a Marine, always a Marine.”

I should have known better. My husband, Gene, is an inactive Marine. He served in the Vietnam War. He has recited that mantra many times.

God is kind of like a Marine. Love is part of who He is. He can’t take His love for us out of who He is. Love means you want what is best for the other person. God’s love for us means He always does what is best for us. He doesn’t promise us His best and then give us leftovers. If God had a tattoo it would say, “Love.”

Because God loves you He sent the person He loves the most—His Son Jesus to take care of your sin. No matter who you are, you have done, thought, and said things that were mean, selfish, immoral, and in general against the goodness and holiness of God. That is sin.

This sin is what keeps us from having a relationship with God. Sin necessitated Jesus coming to earth to die for us. By giving Himself—a life lived without sin and God incarnate—to be killed for us, He made us right with God. So when we say yes to Jesus’ sacrifice and to live for Him, our sins are washed away. We are clean and right before God. God no longer sees what we have done wrong. He sees us perfect.

You may think of your past or current sins like a tattoo. Everyone who looks at you sees your sin tattooed on you.

No matter what you have done, if you have confessed it and asked God for forgiveness, it is gone. God has removed that tattoo. (Revelation 1:5-6; 1 John 1:9-10)

The new you is innocent and holy in God’s sight. You only need to live it. And it doesn’t matter what others think. They have their own tattoos. And if they have asked for and accepted God’s forgiveness, theirs is gone as well. We need to see each other as the forgiven, loved-by-God people they are.

Maybe you need a reminder that you are perfect in God’s sight. I like and need reminders to remind me of God’s truth and to live it. I recently bought an inexpensive bracelet. It is gold with sparkles that are meant to look like tiny, tiny, diamonds. I wear it to remind me to live as Jesus lived and shine for Him. My inspiration verse is Philippians 2:15, “that you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”

Here are a view verses that might inspire you.

Psalm 51:7, “Sprinkle me with water and I will be pure; wash me and I will be whiter than snow.”

Isaiah 1:18, “Though your sins have stained you like the color red, you can become white like snow; though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet, you can become white like wool.”

At the retreat where I first presented this message, I gave the girls white parachute cording to tie on each other’s wrists to remind them that they are white as snow before God.

Even though you now know you are perfect in God’s sight, the enemy may try to whisper lies that you are not good enough, you are damaged, you are not enough.

Two more verse for your arsenal:

Romans 8:1, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (NLT).

Galatians 5:1, “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery” (NET Bible).

If you accept what Jesus did for you, you are clean, perfect, and beautiful before God. You have a relationship with Jesus. He will guide you and be with you every moment of every day. One of my friends explained it this way, “Jesus is always at my elbow guiding me.” He is at your elbow too, gently directing you, yet giving you the freedom to do as you wish. He will not insist on you doing what He says. But Jesus gives you the freedom to not give in to the muck but instead to live and be all He planned for you.

Have you accepted what Jesus gave so you can be white and pure before God? If you have, would a physical reminder help you live for Jesus every day? If you have not, this is the perfect time to take a minute to pray to God. He will hear you. He is waiting for you.

I’d love to hear where you are on this journey with God.

*If you or a tween or teen you know would like the handout I gave to the girls for this session or the previous one, email me and I will forward it to you.

 

 

Brenda Garrison is an author and speaker who empowers women with the confidence to live their calling. Brenda is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Ministry Leadership with a Concentration in Women’s Ministry at Moody Bible Institute. She and her husband, Gene, are the parents of three young adult daughters and live near Metamora, IL.

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