I am God's Beloved. Everyone I meet today is God's Beloved.
God is my Beloved. Live as God's Beloved.
Auto-generated from the master Google Doc · June 26, 2026
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I am God's Beloved. Song of Songs 2 :8 "'Listen! My beloved! Behold, he is coming, climbing on the mountains, leaping on the hills!'" God rejoices over me with gladness. Zeph 3:17 "The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." God chose me and covenants with me. Deut. 7:7 "The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors…" I am united with Christ. Eph 1:6 "To the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." Col 3:3 "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." God loves me sacrificially. 1 John 4:10 "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." Oh, thank you Lord Jesus for loving me with a costly love! 1 John 3.16 "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us…" Rom 5:8 "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
"...Yet sinners" … You laid down your life in spite of our lowly, fallen nature; and in spite of the PARTICULAR bentness of my heart – my self-justifying pride, my control addiction and my functional atheism. I have bad eyes that distort my perception; as a cause and a result, I focus too much on me and not enough on you.
I claim to trust you, but practically I do everything I can never to rely on you.
BUT YOU SAY… (Rev 21:15) – "BEHOLD, I AM MAKING ALL THINGS NEW!" Thank you that today is a new day. FOR your glory and BY your grace, I remember you today! Lam 3:22-24: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.'" LORD, I BELIEVE, HELP MY UNBELIEF.
Father, God, give me the courage to acknowledge before your throne my sin, weakness and lack of control – AND GIVE ME THE FAITH TO TRUST IN YOU. 2 Corinthians 12:9–10: "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.'" You have given me a new heart, made me a new creation and I am confident of this: that you, having begun this good work in me, will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Dear Jesus, enthrall me, ravish me! Re-order my loves such that you are primary and re-orient my mind so that I may see you clearly, and by your light see everything else truly. Rom 12:2: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…" Col 3:1-2 "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." Lam 3:40: "Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord." Eph 4:22-24: "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
TO MY INCLUSION IN UNIVERSAL FALLENESS YOU SAY I'M HOLY, I'M LOVED, I'M BLAMELESS, I'M COMPLETE, I'M ON MY WAY HOME and I'M VICTORIOUS, even in apparent defeat. Rom 8:31, 35-38: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? "Just as it is written, for thy sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." But in all these things we OVERWHELMINGLY CONQUER THROUGH HIM who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." I AM YOUR BELOVED!
TO MY PARTICULAR BENTNESS, YOU SAY –
I'm made for your glory. Psalm 115:1: "Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory…" Matthew 6:33: "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…" Romans 11:36: "For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."
I'm not enough by myself, and that's okay. Genesis 2:7: "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." Psalm 10:4: "In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God." Eph 2:1: "As for you, (dear Stephen), you were dead in your transgressions and sins."
I'm not in control (and that's okay). Acts 17:28: "In him we live and move and have our being." James 4:13–15: "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? YOU ARE A MIST THAT APPEARS FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND THEN VANISHES. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'"
I can do nothing apart from you. John 15:5: "Apart from me you can do nothing." 2 Cor 3:5: "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God."
Everything good I have comes from you. Jeremiah 9:23–24: "Let not the wise boast of their wisdom, or the strong boast of their strength, or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me…"
You alone judge me. 1 Corinthians 4:3–4: "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself… It is the Lord who judges me."
In you I am fully known and fully loved. Psalm 139:13–14: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful…." Psalm 139:1–4: "You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, you know it completely." Jn 15:15: "...I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."
YOU ARE ENOUGH!
He is the One, Living and True God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – self-existent, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, the holy Creator and sovereign Lord of all, who in justice judges sin and in mercy saves his people, revealing himself through Jesus Christ, who is one with the Father.
PRAISE HIM! Luke 19:40: "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out." Exo 3:14: "I AM WHO I AM." Deut 6:4: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one God." Exodus 34:6-7: "And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.'"
Help me to see clearly, to believe the TRUTH of who you are and to trust you.
You protect me and provide for me. Psalm 23:1: "The LORD is my shepherd; I lack nothing." Psalm 121:5–8: "The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand… The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Isaiah 41:10: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Exodus 14:14: The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still. Isaiah 40:30–31: "...but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint." Deuteronomy 33:27: "The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms…" Philippians 4:19: "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." Psalm 73:26: "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Isaiah 46:4: "Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."
You are in control. Hebrews 1:3: "He upholds the universe by the word of his power." Psalm 135:6: "The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths." Colossians 1:16–17: "All things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Hebrews 1:3: "He upholds the universe by the word of his power." Daniel 2:21: "He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others." Job 37:5–6: "God thunders wondrously with his voice… he says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth…'" Revelation 1:8: "I am the Alpha and the Omega… who is, and who was, and who is to come." You are awesome! You deserve my praise and my trust!
I am a sojourner in this world and a citizen of God's Kingdom, the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. Through my own sin and suffering, God has formed in me a particular grace for the lost and the wounded. Because God sought after me and has met me as a faithful friend in those places, I am an active, seeking, serving friend to others – welcoming, walking with, and encouraging them toward His light. In making room for others, I help form communities where friendships take root and people experience the warmth, presence and illumination of God's love. God has entrusted me with gifts of wisdom and discernment. When exercised rightly, they allow me to encourage friends to apply faith to their lives – moving together with the grain of God's created order. I steward all my gifts and abilities for the good of the body of Christ, trusting God such that I obey when he asks me to give and to rest when He asks me to receive.
As a friend, I hold a crown above the heads of others – having a vision for their lives, naming their God-given beauty and helping them grow into who they are meant to become. I stay with people in confusion or pain without needing to mend.
As a father, I speak blessing and identity, before instruction. I model trust in God more than competence. I confess when I am wrong and ask forgiveness quickly.
As a husband, I love through presence, attentiveness, and shared vulnerability; not through service alone. I protect time for unproductive togetherness. I ask for help and receive care and support.
As a professional, I practice integrity, faithfully steward my gifts and work diligently for the collective good. I lead with clarity and care for people, not just outcomes.
As a follower of Jesus, I am a man of prayer in pursuit of union and intimacy with Jesus. I maintain wonder and awe for those things into which angels long to look, knowing that life is found there, in the person and mysteries of Jesus Christ.
"... I am not my own, but belong — body and soul, in life and in death — to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ." "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever." Christ in you, is the hope of glory."
GOD IS THE FOCUS — God is the King, the Center, The Focus, The Goal, The only Reality, even over oneself or one's perception. When focus looks inward rather than to Him, even toward "positive truths", there is a tendency to lose God and become self-centered. Comfort and happiness are not the focus.
LOVE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING — 1 Cor 13 1-8a: If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. Rom. 13:8-10: "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not covet,' and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."
SEEK WISDOM <> PROTECT YOUR HEART — Prov 4:23: "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." You are becoming what you consume. Phil 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Prov 4:7: Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding
KEEP AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE — As my mom likes to say, "Everything will be alright in the end. If it's not alright, it's not the end." This is not pithy. It's God's reality. Everything sad is going to come untrue. "There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty forever beyond its reach."
BE CHILDLIKE and JOYFUL — Do not be childish, but pursue and relish childlike faith and joy. Matthew 18:3–4: "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 1 Thes 5:16: REJOICE ALWAYS.
PRACTICE THANKFULNESS — 1 Thess 5:18: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." I believe the deeper healing of the Samaritan in Luke 17:11–19 is salvific. In his thankfulness, he wanted more OF Jesus – not more FROM Jesus.
AGENCY — "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." Mastering that space effectively determines how you live. Be watchful for triggers ….. pause. Never respond while you're upset. The holy spirit must change you inwardly, but you bear responsibility to exercise the agency that comes from being God's Image Bearer.
LEAVE MARGIN — Leave margin in all things when possible. Leaving a little extra time goes a long way toward avoiding pitfalls and enjoying the journey. Thin financial margin leads to bad decisions. Don't allow life to speed up or you may slip off course and lose intentionality over who you are and what you functionally value.
DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING — When you get off course or don't know how to effectuate your ultimate desired outcome, do the next right thing. IT'S ALWAYS THE RIGHT THING.
BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT – Give others the benefit of the doubt. Focus on the best in others – it will transform the way you are able to love them. "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
LAUGH. DON'T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY – It's usually not about you. Gain a broader perspective – God is in control. He uses even the "worst" circumstances for His glory and our good.
HONESTY <> YOU NEED A FULLY TRANSPARENT FRIENDSHIP — Not only must you live your faith in a community, you need at least one friend with whom you are mutually, as fully transparent as humanly possible. The Devil would love for you NOT to have this friend. The consequences of truth in the light are far superior to the consequences of truths kept hidden.
BE CURIOUS and LISTEN – Intellectual curiosity honors God and is an attractive trait. "Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person they are almost indistinguishable."
RUN — For your physical, mental and spiritual health, run! As Dad says, "You can't feel sorry for yourself while running." And beyond that, persevering on your runs is a metaphor for life and walking with Jesus.
DRINK MORE WATER — Another tip of the hat to earthly Dad. But he's not wrong. You almost always need more water.
Proverbs 18:21: Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
I am God's Beloved, Everyone you meet today is God's Beloved, God in my Beloved. Live as God's Beloved.