In whom I am well pleased

I never got around to blogging about my experience at my mom's church Renovatus in charlotte.  Pastor Jonathan Martin leads the church and my mom absolutely loves it.  I haven't been in a while and I finally got the chance to go and boy did I get wrecked.  I had a total revelation of God's love.   He preached on the love of the Lord and I know that I won't be able to share in words how the Lord blessed me that day but I needed it.  He spoke on David and how well he knew the love of God and how his identity was established in His love.  Unlike Saul, he lived in God's love and knew and understood he was God's beloved.  David still did wicked things as did Saul but his identity remained in the Father.  So many days I don't live with my identity established in believing I am His beloved rather I do in what I have accomplished or obtained.  I race after the affirmation of people and their opinions of my life and decisions.  How short do we sell ourselves day after day?  Sadly my life often mimics Saul's addiction of the people's praise and celebration "filling" my worth.   Funny enough, the Lord spoke all of this on my birthday.  "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, I know that full well." psalm 139.  Before I was even born, the Lord delighted in me.  Not in what I have done.  David understood this and truly believed it.  Everything is contingent on understanding God's love and knowing that God delighted in us before we were born.  In Matthew, God spoke to Jesus saying "This is my beloved Son,  in whom I am well pleased."  Not by whom but in whom I am well pleased.   I pray I will continue to understand and believe the Father's love like David.

At the end of the service, we sang Matt Redman's 10,000 reasons.  It was sweet worship and I will leave you with some lyrics that have been in my heart...

Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore