As we launch into our second week on worth, we want to focus on the art of self-discovery. When we make the determined choice to choose God’s worth in who we are, let go of old patterns and accept and receive new patterns, just like any new relationship, we have to dig deep for the gold that we now believe is deep inside.

Let’s define self-discovery like this: Remember the newness and excitement of moving into a new place, getting a newer car, starting a better job, hanging out with a new friend? I want to encourage you to tap into that kind of feeling and emotion in getting to know yourself in this new way, for the new things God can and will show you. Look forward to finding new interests, skills, qualities, and even emotions … whatever you desire for God to show you … the things you want to see happen for you and the surprises God may bring through your new mindset and heart-set.

For today’s passage, even if you know it well or recall it from your past, try to hear this truth in a new way, with the same freshness you are going to approach your life now.

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8 NLT)

These are the words of Jesus Himself. Notice his intentional use of the language—you will receive … you will find … the door will be opened. He then goes on to make certain we know that no one is excluded from this promise. That said, we have to be careful to not manipulate or misinterpret His teaching. God will never go outside of His Word, His ways, or His will. But, inside those holy parameters, He is inviting all of us to ask, seek, and knock. He is inviting you right now.

In your new adventure of self-discovery, be proactive. Asking, seeking, and knocking all take both action and faith. What might look like for you. It might be asking, God, what ‘good purpose’ does a given situation present? Or asking God to reveal some hidden or overlooked gifts He has given you.

As we have many times before, let’s take this passage and make it into a personalized prayer.

“I will keep on asking, and I will receive what I ask for. I will keep on seeking, and I will find. I will keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to me. For I will ask to receive. I will seek to find. And I will knock, for the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8 NLT, adapted)

Let’s pray together: “Lord Jesus, give me the boldness, the strength, the passion to get up and ask, seek, and knock to discover whatever You have for my life. I believe You spoke these words because You believe we are worthy because of Your sacrifice. May I walk in Your Word, Your will, and Your ways. As above, so below.”

So, have you discovered anything in yourself this week that is new and fresh for your life? Today, let’s take another step toward self-discovery in our identity in Christ and His value and worth placed upon us as His children.

The apostle Paul wrote one of the most transparent passages about himself in Romans 7. But he also wrote the words knowing we all deal with this Jekyll and Hyde-type existence when we become Christ-followers, yet still live in sin. This truth is very important to understanding the dilemma of living in the Kingdom of God while also still being a citizen of earth. Listen closely …

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. (Romans 7:15-20 NIV)

Even though the words can sound confusing at first read, we also completely get it, don’t we? What I want to do, I don’t do. The good I really want to do, I can’t seem to do. And I hate it! And I … just … keep… doing … it!

But Paul went on to solve the mystery. Listen …

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:21-25 NIV)

In our personal worth, in our discovery of who we are, in our discovery of who we no longer are, our only rescue from this crazy life is found in God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The next time you get frustrated with yourself and your choices—to do bad or to not do good, stop, read, and remember Paul’s teaching here. We all have sin waging war in us, even though we truthfully want to do what is right. Ultimately, the rescue from the moment you are in and from the shame that accompanies it, is found only in Jesus.

Let’s pray: “Lord, thank You for salvation that provides the rescue that even allows us to have a choice between sin and righteousness. Lead me, help me to look to You when I struggle with who I am and what I do. Help me to grow in my relationship to You as I make decisions today. As above, so below.”

Today, we continue our encouragement of self-discovery of our worth in God’s eyes.

Busyness and distraction are rampant in our culture, as you well know. The calendar and the clock rule our lives, along with the latest text, post, email, or call. To truly discover your identity in Christ, to consistently go deeper in Him and who you are, paying attention to Him and what He tells you is a must on a daily basis.

Listen to this story about Jesus and his two friends who were sisters.

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 NLT)

Martha just knew she was in the right, didn’t she? She was busy fixing a meal for a room full of hungry people and growing impatient with her sister for leaving her to do all the work. Imagine her surprise when Jesus told her that Mary was actually in the right place doing the right thing. … The Bible says Martha was distracted while Mary was discovering. … Notice Jesus’s choice of words, translated into English, of course. There is only one thing worth being concerned about. And Mary has discovered it.

Today, there are things you have to do and things you need to do. But to stay on the path of finding who you are in Christ requires setting aside some to-do list stuff and do what Mary did—intentional time to sit and listen to Jesus. In stillness.

Imagine the Lord words from this scripture directed to you today, “My dear friend, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Discover it.”

Let’s pray together: “Lord Jesus, remind me, help me take the time to stop life and listen, to not be distracted, but discover more of You, to discover more of me. As above, so below.”

On this Day 4 of looking at our worth in Christ and encouraging the self-discovery only He can provide, we want to spend the bulk of our time together in meditation on a powerful chapter that King David wrote. Today, our focus will be to understand who we are, we must first know that God is God and we are not. So much of the issues in our lives regarding our identity is when we try to keep ourselves on the throne when we were never created to sit there. Only our God.

Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in and out. Be still. Listen. Listen to the words while hearing the Holy Spirit.

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.  I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young

What phrase or thought stood out to you? Consider why. What is God saying to you right now?

Hear the closing words once more: For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you.

What if you memorized and repeated those thoughts this week? What difference might that make in your attitude and mindset, in the state of your heart?

Let’s pray: “Father, David used the word ‘joy’ many times in this Psalm. Help me to find more joy in You and in my life. I need You to be my sun and my shield. Please give me Your grace and glory. I want to do what is right in Your eyes so You will withhold no good thing from me. As above, so below.”

For our final day this week, I can’t wait for us to read a passage from The Message Bible—Romans 5:1-5.

Remember on the first day this week when I spoke of a newness and excitement that we can experience when we choose to receive our new identity in Christ, accept His worth into our hearts, and begin to discover who we truly are? Well, this passage is a great sum-up and send-off for the week in trying to live in this new mindset as a Christ-follower.

Please close your eyes. Take this truth in. Visualize yourself in the scenes that the Scripture describes.

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! (Romans 5:1-5 MSG)

Let’s personalize these scriptures… God has made you right with Him through Christ. That’s what He wanted for you when He created you. God has thrown open the doors of Heaven to you. He wants you to throw open the doors of your heart, your mind, your spirit to Him. And now you are standing where you have always hoped to stand—out in the wide open spaces of His grace and glory.

Let’s take a few moments … I want to ask you to express Your praise to God. Whether you shout or you are silent, take a moment to worship like Paul expressed, as he calls it standing tall and shouting our praise.

(Pause)

Please know that the enemy of God and the ways of this world do not want you to know who you truly are in Christ. So that is exactly why the battle is so strong on so many of your days to pull you down and keep you down. But please, keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking … never stop. Know who you are and only go deeper in your relationship with Christ. You will never find the end of Him this side of Heaven, so I want to inspire you to dive deep in His grace and in His glory.

Let’s pray: “Heavenly Father, we worship You today as the One who gives us our life, our breath, and our identity. You alone establish our worth and our value. Help me, lead me, to just keep asking, seeking, and knocking to know You deeper and higher and farther and longer in Your love until I come home to be with You. As above, so below.”

The first step to discovering our identity is deciding what we believe about the source of where we originate. Where we came from is crucial to how we view our own lives. Are we a handcrafted masterpiece or a cosmic accident?

The story is told of Sir Isaac Newton, the famous mathematician and scientist, who had a strong belief in God. One day, Sir Isaac went to an artisan carpentry shop and asked the owner to make a model of our solar system. This model was to be to scale, intricately painted, and designed to resemble, as closely as possible, the actual solar system.

Several weeks later, Newton picked up the model, paid for it, and placed it in the center of a table in his house. One day, a friend who was an atheist came to visit. When the man arrived at Newton’s house, the model of the solar system caught his eye, and he asked Sir Isaac if he could inspect it more closely. As the friend looked it over, he was awed by the fine craftsmanship and beauty. The friend then asked Newton who had created this wonderful model of the solar system. Sir Isaac promptly replied that no one had made the model but that it had just appeared on his table one day, evidently by accident.

Confused, the friend asked the question again, and Newton repeated his answer that the model had come out of thin air. As the friend became frustrated, Sir Isaac then explained the purpose of his answer: If he could not convince his friend that this crude replica of the solar system had “just happened by accident,” how could the friend believe that the real solar system, with all its complex design, could have appeared only by chance? The moral to the story: Design always demands a Designer.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

When was the last time you watched your children sleeping? Why do you suppose as parents we do that? Stare lovingly at a perfectly still and peaceful child? It’s because we marvel at how they are created and are a part of us. … Design does indeed demand a Designer.

Regardless of how you or anyone else has ever attempted to determine your worth, God has already stated clearly that you are His masterpiece … just like those beautiful kids you love so much. He has declared your identity because He created each of you and placed you together as a family.

Pray with me: “Father, I want to accept and receive that I am Your masterpiece, created anew in You to accomplish the things You planned for my life long ago. I claim that same identity and destiny for my incredible kids. Thank You for my life. Thank You for their lives. As above, so below.”

Today, we continue diving into our personal worth, our true identity.

One of the greatest artists of all time was the sculptor and painter Michelangelo. In the early 1500s, when he was commissioned by the Catholic Church in Rome to paint the twelve apostles of Christ against a starry sky onto the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he asked if he could paint a more complex scheme. Over the next four years, Michelangelo painted nine scenes from Genesis onto the chapel ceiling, including over three hundred characters. He divided the artistic mural into four groups:

—God’s creation of the earth

—God’s creation of mankind

—Man’s fall from God’s grace

—God’s redemption of man with the salvation of Noah and his family.

Today, you can still see Michelangelo’s amazing work, which has been preserved over the centuries. What if God has uniquely placed you into His painting of life to be a key character? He has artistically orchestrated your life, skills, gifts, talents, and qualities to be used in His masterpiece. But, it’s your call. He’s a Gentleman, so He will not force you to believe in Him. But know this: God definitely believes in you and wants you in the picture, right there with Him, in the middle of His canvas.

Now consider this: What if you are painted into His masterpiece, and yet He also allows you to be a painter with His hands guiding the brush. God wants to involve and engage you in His story to change the world.

(Psalm 139:13-18 NLT)

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!  I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

Our hope this week is for God’s Word and work in your life to be so clear that you see who you are in Him and that truth will forever re-shape and re-purpose the rest of your life, as well as how you parent your children.

Let’s pray together: “Father, while I may struggle to use words about myself like “complex, marvelous, and precious,” thank You that You have expressed those feelings toward me. I want to believe my worth in and through You and I want to receive my identity from You. As above, so below.”

We all know today that the world and media want to tell us our value, our worth, and our identity. The rules and cultural norms are constantly shifting and finding truth today is kind of like trying grab a handful of jello.

Let’s go back to the first pages of the Bible where God Himself speaks of human origin.

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.  And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened. Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! (Genesis 1:26-31 NLT)

As a human being, this passage talks about your life. God looks at you and says, “Very good!” That is the truth about your personal value, your very worth, the essence of who you are in your identity. And your children? Well, they are your part of being fruitful and multiplying, filling the earth, and governing. Your parenting is fulfilling God’s original design and plan.

Consider doing this activity with your kids. Look up this passage—Genesis 1:26-31—in your Bible or Bible app in your favorite version and where you see the words “human beings” or “them” or “it,” insert your name in each place and read it out loud to your kids. Then do the same with each of your children. Personalize this passage to communicate God’s love and care for your family.

No matter what the world may scream at you every day or what social media may try and tell you, accept and receive God’s worth and identity as your never-changing, eternal truth.

Let’s pray: “Father, thank You for my life. Thank You for the lives of my children. Help me to teach them Your view of them and help them to accept Your heart for them as their own truth, just as I must as well. As above, so below.”

Today, we continue our look into our personal worth and identity.

Consider this: If someone believes he or she was an accident, this strongly affects how someone thinks about themselves and their future. If there is no real point or purpose to life, why care about others and why show love and kindness? Why not do what we want and have all the fun we can while we can? If we are our own standard, why should personal responsibility matter at all?

But on the other hand, and let’s personalize this thought—how does a belief that a loving God created you and wants a relationship with you affect how you think about yourself and your future? Having a real purpose for life means decisions and behavior will not only impact you, but also those all around you. The great news of the gospel is that God has always been involved in your life and always will be.

Yesterday, we read from Genesis 1. Today, let’s read a verse from Genesis 2.

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

And now for the beautiful side of the story, let’s skip to verse 21:

So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening.  Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” (Genesis 2:21-23 NLT)

Where was God in these scenes? He was in the dirt—involved, creating, engaged. He was crafting man and woman. He breathed His own breath into them. No one did “the dirty work”, so to speak, for God; He did it Himself!

God was giving, not taking. And He has been giving life from the very beginning and has never stopped.

If we are going to believe the Bible and what God says, then these are our truths: You were formed out of a deep love from a God who desperately loves you. You didn’t come from apes. Your ancestors didn’t crawl up onto the seashore out of primordial ooze. You didn’t evolve or morph, and you certainly were not an accident. God planned, designed, and made you. … And every single one of your kids. That is who you and your family are … God’s very own.

Pray with me: “Father, thank You for planning us with and for a purpose—me and my kids. Guide me, lead me to help us all find that purpose through Your plan and with an attitude of worth, value, and identity that only comes from You. As above, so below.”

For our final day this week, let’s look at a fascinating thought that you can find right at the end of your own fingers.

Of the thousands of questions about our bodies that scientists have answered, there is a certain mystery that has never been successfully resolved: our fingerprints. Why do we have them? What’s their biological purpose? Years of research have not produced a good answer.

While one study attempted to prove the purpose of fingerprints was to aid the grip of our fingers, another contradicted that study and concluded that the skin patterns actually reduce the contact area, making it harder to hold slick surfaces. Some scientists only believe that fingerprints exist to improve our sense of touch.

The only fact that all scientists agree on is that no two people’s fingerprints are the same—even those of identical twins. Throughout all of human creation, no repetition of fingerprints has ever been found, with every set being original.

Well, if science cannot figure out what fingerprints are for or their origin, but no two are the same, then the next major question is what or who placed them on us?

Consider this: What if God gave us our fingerprints, like the painter’s final brush strokes on the canvas, our Creator signing each of us with His customized one-of-a-kind signature?

What if God gave us fingerprints, making them unique to each person, simply to show us the great detail and care He takes in His creation?

Remember earlier this week when we read in Genesis where God said “let us make human beings in our image”? Our image? The Gospel of John gives us a better understanding of that statement in the very first verses.

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. (John 1:1-5 NLT)

Christ, the One who was there with God, at your creation came to this earth and lived, died, and was resurrected for you—to offer you new life, God’s value, God’s worth, and His very life for you to live in and through Him. We pray you have received that gift. But until you have no breath left, it will never be too late to invite Jesus into your life.