Learning, Yearning, and Journeying...?

“Rejoice always.” -1 Thessalonians 5:16

I’ve got this passion, I guess you could say, about finding joy in Christ, and only in Christ.  I am not saying it’s bad for other things to bring joy, but I don’t think it’s a good thing for something or someone else to be the main source of joy in our lives.  If our joy is in anything or anyone else, we will be let down; our lives will be good or great for a while, but then it won’t be so awesome later.  This is the truth, because this is just simply how things go.  We are not made for people; we are made for God.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” -Genesis 1:26

It may seem normal for us to try to find our worth and joy and our everything in another person, because it may seem like we’re made in each others’ likeness.  That is not the case, though.  We are made in GOD’s likeness, and we are meant to find our worth and joy and our everything in HIM.

Now here I am, realizing more and more how much I need to find all of my joy and strength in Christ, only to realize that I’m not sure if I’ve ever known how to do so.  It is one of those things that is much easier said than done, or maybe just an idea that sounds great.  So how exactly do we find our joy and contentment and strength in Christ?
I’ve really been thinking and praying about it for the past week or so, and I’ve come to a basic conclusion: we must accept that we are who God says we are in Christ.  But then, what does that mean?  A few examples…

• We are important.
  -“But as it is,^(AD) God arranged the members in the body, each one of them,^(AE) as he chose…All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it” -1 Corinthians 12:18,27 
• I am completely forgiven of all of the crap I’ve done.
  -“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” -Colossians 1:13-14
• We are more than conquerors.
  -“…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” -Romans 8:37

And that’s just a start.  We are told that we are all these things through Christ, and God doesn’t lie.  I’m not completely worthless, I’m not a failure, my singing sounds great to Him, my life is important to Him.  My life is a big deal to Him.  He doesn’t want to see my life suck, unless it’s to build me up in Him.  He’s not going to try to look for all of my wrongs, but He is quick to forgive.  Wanna know what’s ridiculous?  If we live our lives for God, He sees us as His Son. 

“For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” -2 Corinthians 2:15

Pretty crazy, right?  God sees us as something special.  He sees us as someone worthwhile.  He sees us as important.  He legitimately cares for us and wants the best for us.  Why in the world would I want to find joy and strength and contentment in anything else, when everything else will let me down?

I encourage you to meditate on these verses and pray about them.  Realize that how you see yourself is not how God sees you.  You may feel like a failure, but to God, you are Christ.  Pray that God will help you see this.

We are so loved.