Who Does God Say that I Am? - FORGIVEN

Have you ever had to ask for forgiveness from someone? Think back to a time when you know you were in the wrong and something that you said or did hurt someone deeply. It takes courage and humility to confess your wrongdoing, apologize for how you hurt someone, and then ask them to forgive you. If the person extended forgiveness to you, do you remember what that felt like to be forgiven? That person gave you a gift of forgiveness that you likely did not deserve and did not earn. That is how it is with God as well; his forgiveness is a gift of his grace that we can never earn and do not deserve. We simply confess our sins, own up to our mistakes, and God extends this gift to us.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

— 1 John 1:9

Yes we are forgiven, and this also means that we must admit why we require forgiveness. Paul tells us in Romans that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) We have all fallen short and all of us are sinners in need of a savior. We are sinners, and yet God calls us forgiven because of Jesus.

Sometimes we forget what it is like to be forgiven and have a hard time accepting that God has forgiven us. We think it needs to be more complicated or involve more work, but that is not a free gift given by God. Even when we confess our sins and know in our heads that we are forgiven, it can still be difficult to accept the gift of forgiveness. We have to humble ourselves, admit that pride might be keeping us in the mindset of earning forgiveness, and learn to accept this precious gift. You are FORGIVEN.

Accepting the gift of forgiveness and living like you know you are forgiven does not stop with you. We are called to also forgive one another and extend that gift to others. Knowing what it is like to be on the receiving end of forgiveness is a transformative experience. When others hurt you or offend you, remember the gift of forgiveness and the freedom that comes with that. 

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

— Ephesians 4:31-32

Prayer: Dear God, please forgive me of the sins I have committed against you. I know that my sin keeps me from you. Thank you for Jesus and the gift of forgiveness. Please help me to forgive others as you have forgiven me.

Who Does God Say that I Am? - SEEN

The first personal name given to God as recorded in the Bible was given by a woman named Hagar, who was Sarah’s maidservant. The name is quite amazing as it reveals God’s character and also how much he cares for his creation. Hagar calls him El Roi - the God who sees me. 

“She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

— Genesis 16:13

Hagar’s story and life circumstances were not happy. She was a foreign slave under the authority of Sarah and Abraham. At the time, Abraham and Sarah had been promised by God that they would have a son. After years of waiting, Abraham and Sarah both tried to take this promise into their own hands. Hagar fell victim to one of these schemes when she was given to Abraham to have a child with him. 

Hagar became pregnant and then she was abused and mistreated by the people who were supposed to protect her. She ran away, completely broken and dejected. This is where the story of her encounter with the angel of the Lord in chapter 16 takes place. Hagar is at the lowest point in her life -- used, abused, manipulated, broken, depressed, angry, lost, alone, and unprotected. This is the place where God meets her. God cares about his beloved and reaches out to her. In that moment, Hagar feels seen by God. She says, “you are the God who sees me!”

God also sees you. You are not invisible to God. He sees you and knows you and knows exactly the challenges or difficulties that you are going through. When the rest of the world looks away, shuts you down, or kicks you out, God is right there with you, seeing your pain and knowing exactly what you need.

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Prayer: God, thank you for being the one who sees me. I do not have to pretend to have it all together because you know my deepest hurts and pain. Thank you for seeing me and loving me despite the brokenness that you see. When other people turn away, I know that I can depend on you.

Who Does God Say that I Am? - IMAGE BEARER

In Genesis we meet the first humans created by God – Adam and Eve. When God creates humanity, he makes them distinct and set apart from all the rest of creation. They are the pinnacle of God’s creation and after God makes them, he looks at his whole creation and says it is “very good.” One way that God set humanity apart from the rest of his good creation was to make them in his own image. You are an Image Bearer.     

“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…’ So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

— Genesis 1:26-27

What does it mean to be made in the image or likeness of God? What does that say about who we are that we are bearing the image of God? First, we have to notice that in order to know ourselves, we have to know the One in whose likeness we were created. 

Romans 1:19-20 says, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”

This passage reveals that all of creation, including humanity, points to its creator – the Almighty God, maker of heaven and earth. We are “without excuse” in seeing characteristics of God in his created world. If we are to truly know who God says that we are, it is so important to know who God is. 

Coming up in our weekly devotional videos, we will be diving more into what it means exactly to be made in the image of God. For now, remember that we have to know God and whose image we are bearing, then we can know how humanity reflects who God is. 

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Prayer: Lord God, creator of heaven and earth, thank you for creating us in your image. Your creation is wonderful and beautiful, and I know that you made humanity in a special way. Open my eyes to see the ways that you have created me in your image. Help me to know you more by seeing who you are in all that you have created.