Theme: Sticky Labels Read: Ephesians 1:3-6 (NIV) Reflect: Have you ever purchased an item and then spent an afternoon trying to get those stubborn, sticky labels off of it? You know the ones, those labels cemented on with secret glue that makes them impervious to our efforts to remove them. So it is with the negative labels cemented on us by life. My label has always read “not good enough.” Frankly, I could be Joan of Arc, Audrey Hepburn, and Mother Theresa all rolled into one, but at my core I have always been simply “not good enough.” Over 30 years ago, I accepted Jesus as my savior. He lifted me out of the mire of my own creation and changed my life forever. Pastor Mike reaffirmed for me this weekend that when that happened, I received every spiritual blessing my heart and soul could ever need or want. I was now accepted by the God of the universe, and I received a new label, “blessed.” I believe that with all my heart. But do I live each day as if this label is true? Not always. Sometimes the sticky remnants of my old label are still there, but I am learning to live out my new label. I praise God for what he has done in my life, what he is doing now, and for what is yet to be. United with Jesus, I am no longer, “not good enough”; I am as good as it gets. React: Have you accepted Jesus as your savior, received all of his blessings, but are not really living as though it’s true? Don’t just believe, but receive, your true, positive label. Pray: Thank you for purchasing me, for blessing me, and for transforming me. These weekday e-devotionals are written by a team of volunteers from EastLake Church.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 13:30:41 +0000