"Dumbbells, Get Moving!"

Read: Ephesians 1:1-14

God created man in His own image. —Genesis 1:27

A drill sergeant barked out an order to a bunch of recruits: "All you dumbbells, get moving!" All but one obeyed. Angered by his seeming defiance, the sergeant marched up to him and growled, "Well?" The young recruit replied, "There certainly were a lot of them, Sir!"

It would be great if more of us as Christians felt that good about ourselves. It's not wrong to affirm our worth. The Bible does. We have been created to reflect the moral and personal nature of God (Genesis 1:26). Sin has marred that image, but because of love, God sent His Son to die for our sins. By trusting Jesus as our Savior, we are "accepted," just as the Father accepts Him (Ephesians 1:6).

We may feel unworthy of such love and grace, but we can still have a healthy sense of self-worth, belonging, and confidence. Because Christ has removed the guilt of our sin by paying its penalty on the cross, we know that we are fully accepted by Him (vv.7-14).

Feelings of self-condemnation may still come over us, but we must affirm our worth in Christ. When an inner voice keeps shouting, "You're a dumbbell!" silence it by saying to yourself, "God made me. Christ saved me. And that makes me a person of great worth!" —DJD

Though sin deformed creation's crown,
God says, "My child, do not despair,
For in My image you were made,
And in Christ's death you fully share." —D. De Haan

Nothing speaks more clearly of God's love than the cross of Christ.

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