Sept 29 Jesus Doesn’t Care What We Look Like
Is God Really in Control?
Do you sometimes wonder whether God is really in control? Maybe something has gone wrong with your health, relationships, job or some other situation in your life, and you wonder: Does God know? Does God care? Is there anything he can do about it anyway?
One of the things that I remember so well about Bishop Sandy Millar’s time as vicar of HTB is that whenever things seemed to have gone wrong, or we were facing some kind of crisis, he would always remind us: ‘The Lord reigns.’ God not only loves you, but he is also the sovereign Lord who is ultimately in control of your life. He is also in control of events and history.
As A.W. Tozer wrote, ‘God is love and God is sovereign. His love disposes Him to desire our everlasting welfare, and His sovereignty enables Him to secure it.’ The Lord reigns!
Psalm 139:11–16
The Lord reigns from conception to death
You do not need to worry about or fear death. God has a good plan and purpose for your life. Even before you were born, he planned all the days of your life (v.16). You are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’ (v.14).
Human life begins at the moment of conception. God’s sovereign love extends to those in the womb. This is where our personal history began:
‘You watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day’ (v.16, MSG).
God is in control from the moment of your conception to the moment of your death and beyond. Put your trust in him.
Lord, thank you for your sovereign love for every human being. Help us to extend that same love and protection to all.
But those who hope in the lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31
Cultivate Meaningful Work. Let Go of Self-Doubt and Supposed-To
YOUR SUPERPOWER AND YOUR KRYPTONITE
One of the first steps on the journey to finding meaning and purpose in our lives and in our work is acknowledging what we do well. €”These are our superpowers. Of course, we also have to get clear on our kryptonite.
RECOMMENDED MATERIALS
Your journal and crayons, markers, watercolors, cutout shapes, double-sided tape or any other art materials you might want to use to decorate your pages.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. For this lesson'€™s creative assignment, we will identify our superpower as well as our kryptonite. Find two blank, facing pages in your journal and label the page on the left "Superpower." Then, label the page on the right "Kryptonite."
2. On the superpower page, think of a word or phrase that characterizes your superpower. Think about something you are really good at. Perhaps sometimes it has gotten you into trouble (especially as a child), but it is a quality that is deeply intrinsic to you, and it comes out in every aspect of your life. It is something you can't help, but it is also something that can be a very powerful force for meaning in your life.
3. On your kryptonite page, think of your superpower and your kryptonite as being two halves of the same coin. What is the aspect of yourself related to your superpower that does not always serve you well?
4. Finally, decorate both of these pages with any art materials you choose: photographs, paint, cutout shapes, stamps and/or drawings.From Jacque: My superpower is determination and it has served me well. But it can become kryptonite in stubbornness.
Would Jesus have used mud to heal people if he cared what we look like?
“After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.” John 9:6
When I worked as a counselor at a Young Life Camp we used to take teenage boys out to a pit in the middle of the night for some serious mud wrestling matches. We jumped in what felt like a swimming pool full of mud and would dunk each other and sling it around. We didn’t care what we looked like – girls could’ve shown up and we wouldn’t have thought twice about our appearance. We were in it for the experience.
Those nights often come to mind when I read about Jesus healing people with mud. One time he came across a blind man, And Jesus spit in the dirt to put it on the man’s eyes to restore a sight. I always wonder why he spit in the dirt and created mud to bring the healing. He could’ve just said a couple of words or waved his hand and the healing would’ve happened all the same. The truth is, we don’t really know. One thing we do know for sure is that Jesus never cared about appearances. Just like my friends and I wrestling in the mud pit, Jesus was more concerned about the experience than the appearance. He came to start a movement not put on a display. He released his spirit to spread love all over the world, and love doesn’t depend on people looking pretty.
The world will try to mislead us about the need to present ourselves in a certain way, but God remains unconcerned. He cares about our hearts more than our appearances. If you find yourself consumed with how you look in the eyes of other people, remember this: Jesus could care less. He wouldn’t have used mud to heal people if he cared what we looked like.
Who’s opinion about your appearance matters most to you? Why?
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