Source / Full Article: Feeling Insecure? - From His Heart - June 1 - Encouragement from Jeff Schreve (oneplace.com)
GOD’S WORD TO THE INSECURE
Insecurity is rooted in self. We feel insecure because we know deep down that we are flawed and fragile. We often try to compensate for this insecurity by bragging on ourself to others, giving ourself a daily pep talk, or achieving some award or advanced degree or milestone. Alas, these worldly strategies to overcome insecurity are short-lived at best. The answer to the problem is only found in God. You will never find it in yourself.
God is a God of grace. His grace has been defined as His unmerited and undeserved love in action. It is by His grace that we are saved. It is by His grace that we are set free. It is by His grace that we are “accepted in the beloved.” And the beloved is Jesus. The moment we receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, the Father accepts us! Acceptance is not achieved through merit, it is freely given through grace.
This acceptance is beautifully pictured in 2 Samuel 9. King David extends jaw-dropping kindness to a man named Mephibosheth—a man who should have been treated as an enemy. Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and the grandson of King Saul. He was heir to Saul’s throne; but David had taken the throne and ended the dynasty of Saul’s house. Conventional wisdom told David to execute Mephibosheth, lest he try and start a revolt and bring the kingdom back to the house of Saul. But David had made a covenant with Jonathan years earlier, vowing to show lovingkindness to his descendants forever. Therefore, David showered Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, with undeserved grace and mercy. When Mephibosheth asked why David would be so kind to “a dead dog like me,” David’s tacit response was telling: I’m not accepting you because of you. I’m accepting you because of Jonathan.
Listen, the cure for insecurity is to remember that God does not accept us on the basis of who we are or how uprightly we have been living. He accepts us on the basis of Jesus. When we accept Jesus, He accepts us, completely and fully.
If you are a Christian, it’s time for you to live in the joy, peace, and security of your acceptance. Don’t look within to find security. It is not there. Look to Jesus. What the Father said to Him, He says to those who are in Him, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
GOD’S WORD TO THE INSECURE
Insecurity is rooted in self. We feel insecure because we know deep down that we are flawed and fragile. We often try to compensate for this insecurity by bragging on ourself to others, giving ourself a daily pep talk, or achieving some award or advanced degree or milestone. Alas, these worldly strategies to overcome insecurity are short-lived at best. The answer to the problem is only found in God. You will never find it in yourself.
God is a God of grace. His grace has been defined as His unmerited and undeserved love in action. It is by His grace that we are saved. It is by His grace that we are set free. It is by His grace that we are “accepted in the beloved.” And the beloved is Jesus. The moment we receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, the Father accepts us! Acceptance is not achieved through merit, it is freely given through grace.
This acceptance is beautifully pictured in 2 Samuel 9. King David extends jaw-dropping kindness to a man named Mephibosheth—a man who should have been treated as an enemy. Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and the grandson of King Saul. He was heir to Saul’s throne; but David had taken the throne and ended the dynasty of Saul’s house. Conventional wisdom told David to execute Mephibosheth, lest he try and start a revolt and bring the kingdom back to the house of Saul. But David had made a covenant with Jonathan years earlier, vowing to show lovingkindness to his descendants forever. Therefore, David showered Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, with undeserved grace and mercy. When Mephibosheth asked why David would be so kind to “a dead dog like me,” David’s tacit response was telling: I’m not accepting you because of you. I’m accepting you because of Jonathan.
Listen, the cure for insecurity is to remember that God does not accept us on the basis of who we are or how uprightly we have been living. He accepts us on the basis of Jesus. When we accept Jesus, He accepts us, completely and fully.
If you are a Christian, it’s time for you to live in the joy, peace, and security of your acceptance. Don’t look within to find security. It is not there. Look to Jesus. What the Father said to Him, He says to those who are in Him, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17).