Your Forever Family!

"In Christ we were chosen to be God's people, because from the very beginning God had decided this in keeping with His plan. And He is the One who makes everything agree with what He decides and wants. We are the first people who hoped in Christ, and we were chosen so that we would bring praise to God's Glory. So it is with you. When you heard the true teaching - the Good News about your salvation - you believed in Christ. And in Christ, God put His special mark of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit that He had promised. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we will receive what God promised for His people..."!Ephesians 1:11-14

Think about a time when you felt like you belonged to a group of people. Have you ever thought about how special it is to be chosen by God and given "His special mark of ownership" when you become a member of God's Forever Family?!

(Inspirational Words from The Blessing by Gary Smalley and John Trent) "We all desire relationships in which we are accepted, valued, and wanted. We desperately long for this esteem from our peer group, but seldom experience the real thing. For the Christian, we belong, we matter, we have been accepted by God! No longer are we outcasts or second class citizens, we are part of His Forever Family when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior!"

Let's use these thoughts to dig deeper with God and answer a few questions just between you and The Lord:

• Describe what it feels like to be unwanted





• Describe what it feels like to be valued





• What are some Spiritual Blessings that we have in Christ?





• What is special about the truth that God specifically "chooses" us as His people?





• What does it feel like to be "chosen" by God when we accept Jesus as our Savior?

Prayer of Thankfulness: Thank you, God for choosing us to be in Your Forever Family! Thank you for spurring us on by Your Love to share Jesus and Your Forever Family with others as Your Witness! Help us to remember that, no matter what we face in this world, we are CHOSEN by YOU and that YOU NEVER LEAVE US or FORSAKE US! Help us to see others, in the path of our lives, that are searching and needing their Forever Family & Your Forever Love! IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpXMnY_tO3M&feature=related (My Place In This World - Michael W. Smith)