The Romantics classic song, “What I Like About You” is a lot of fun, but have you ever paid attention to the lyrics?
“What I like about you, you hold me tight.
“Tell me I’m the only one,
“Wanna come over tonight, yeah.
“Keep on whispering in my ear,
“Tell me all the things that I wanna hear.
“‘Cause it’s true,
“That’s what I like about you.
“What I like about you, you really know how to dance.
“When you go up, down, jump around,
“Think about true romance, yeah…”
Well, you know how it goes. Like I said – it’s a fun song. But how would those lyrics change if God was singing “What I Like About You”? Would you even accept the fact that He does like you? Are you likable in the eyes of God – much less, lovable? We talk all the time about how we should talk to God, how we should love Him… we talk about all of the attributes of God that are worthy of our love and praise. But what if God was to sing, “What I Like About You”?
OPEN=====
Hello, Weirdos – I’m Pastor Darren – welcome to the Church of the Undead.
I’m the host of “Weird Darkness”, but here in the Church of the Undead I can share ideas not related to my other podcast – ideas which are relevant to those who suffer with depression, need some encouragement, and for those who love (or are just curious about) the God of the Bible. And it doesn’t matter if you are a Weirdo-in-Christ or just a Weirdo – everyone is welcome here at the Church of the Undead. And I use the word “undead” because here we are DEAD to sin and ALIVE in Christ! If you want to join this Weirdo congregation, just click that subscribe or follow button!
Full disclosure – I might use the term “pastor” because I’ve branded this feature as a church – but I do not have a theology degree, nor did I ever go to Bible college. I’m just a guy who gave his life to Christ in 1989 and has tried to “walk the walk” every since – and has stumbled a lot along the way – because, like everybody else, I am an imperfect, heavily-flawed human being. So please don’t take what I say as gospel; dig into God’s word yourself for confirmation, inspiration, and revelation.
That being said, welcome to the Church of the Undead.
MESSAGE=====
Another song that might be appropriate for this message is, “Looking for love in all the wrong places” by Country music artist Johnny Lee. And I’m not referring to romantic love – despite the fact that we began this message with a song by The Romantics. We look for acceptance and our identity in social media, in dating circles, friends and family, and even among church folk. But we don’t always find it though. And if we do, it’s often short-lived or even even false acceptance. But we so desperately want to be loved and accepted.
What we often forget though is that we are loved by God himself. Not only that, but he kinda likes us too – and accepts us as we are when He welcomes us into His family.
Fine, fine, fine… you might say. We all know God loves us – but so what, we hear that all the time. Fine – what does God really THINK about you? First off…
God thinks you are valuable. How valuable are you? Well, God MADE YOU. Specifically… YOU.
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart for a special work.”
When children are young, we emphasize how special they were. Talking badly about themselves isn’t allowed – at least it shouldn’t be.
But we do it to ourselves even as adults. Have you ever done something wrong and spoke outloud to yourself about how stupid you are? Why is it okay for us to do that ourselves, but not for our kids to do it? It’s not okay.
If you buy a product, how do you know it’s value? By who created it. And God created you – you can’t get any more important of a manufacturer!
Psalm 139:13-14 = “You made my whole being; you formed me in my mother’s body. I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well.”
Our value rests in the fact that we were created by the hand of God. The world wants us to believe our value rests in how we perform, what we own, the color of our skin, or our position on the social ladder. But…
Ephesians 2:10 says, “You are god’s workmanship!”
Your value begins and ends with the fact that God formed you in the womb. Before you were planned or not planned by human minds, before you were wanted or not wanted by human hearts, you were planned and wanted by God. There are no accidents with God. No surprises! God never has to say “Oops”!
A popular radio personality I listen to was born to a mother who got pregnant out of wedlock at the age of 15. Was this radio guy an accident? Not at all. His mother might’ve at first thought her life was over, but God had another plan for her – a better plan for her – and for her unborn son, who is now a very popular media personality who has a positive influence on those who listen to him. His name is Steve Deace – you ought to give him a listen sometime.
The fact is, we are validated because we originated in the heart and mind of God. Our value rests in Him alone.
God also LOVES you. Yes, it sounds cliché, but it is still true – and not only does he love you… he chose you.
Because He formed you in the womb, He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows you better than anyone else knows you. And He loves you despite that fact!
God does not love us because we deserve it or have earned it. Not because you are lovable or good enough, but simply because you are His. And no one can take our place in the Father’s heart.
I love the story of the man who came from work, looking forward to an evening of rest. He grabbed the newspaper and settled in his favorite chair. The man’s son was so excited that his father was home that he raced into the room and jumped into his father’s lap. “Can you play with me, Daddy?” The man sighed and said, “Son, I really just need some time alone.” The little boy sighed and walked away, but he was back in a few minutes. “Daddy, please, please play with me!” The father noticed a picture of the world in his newspaper. He cut it into pieces and handed them to his son. “Put the pieces back together, and then we can play.” The father was certain it would take his son quite a while to complete the puzzle. The father was surprised when the little boy was back in 5 minutes. “How did you do that so quickly, son?” The little boy smiled and said, “There was a picture of a man on the other side of the pieces. So, when I put him together, the whole world fell into place.”
God sees every tear you have cried. He keeps a record of each one.
Psalm 56:8 = “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”
He knows where you have been, where you are, and where you are going. Doesn’t your heart cry out for an intimate relationship where love is not affected by what you do or don’t do? A relationship where you can abandon yourself and really trust?
I heard about a widow who had successfully raised a very large family. She had six children of her own and adopted 12 others, but she never seemed stressed out or worried. A reporter interviewing her asked the secret of her peace and confidence. The woman responded, “I’m not alone. I’m in a partnership with the Lord. When I was a young woman, I told the Lord I would do the work if He did the worrying. It worked! My heart has been filled with peace ever since.”
We search for His love in all the wrong places and wrong people. We keep expecting to find God’s love in our spouses, children, family, and friends. Here is some great news!
God is not mad at you!
His design of you is second to none!
His plan for you is wonderful!
He paid a great price to redeem you!
He did not come to condemn you!
John 3:16-17 = “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
God loves you so much that he claims you as his own. You BELONG to him, you BELONG in his family as his special child. Before we can understand who we are, we must first understand whose we are. We all have a deep need to belong, to have a relationship where we can count on unconditional love and encouragement. Everyone needs a cheerleader! Much like the little boy who asked his dad to play darts. He instructed his dad, “I’ll throw the darts and you say, ‘Wonderful!'”
The need to belong is demonstrated every day on the playground of every school, where children stand waiting to be chosen for some game or team. We all know what it feels like when we are not chosen.
The need to belong is powerful and can only be fully met in God. I have great news for you! God has chosen you, and you do belong to Him.
Ephesians 1:4 = “Long ago, even before he made the world, God chose us to be his very own, through what Christ would do for us.”
Christ died on the cross so that we would belong and could be chosen when we accept the reality that we are “set apart” for God, the backdrop against which we live our lives will forever change. Our perception of who we are will radically change!
He is our Father! And despite what you might have experienced from your earthly parents – God is a very possessive and POSITIVE parent. I read the story of a mom who said…
“When our son was a baby, we had to take him to the hospital for the possibility of emergency surgery. The doctor ordered a battery of tests to determine if surgery was needed. They would not let him eat just in case he did have to have surgery. And they put an IV in his little leg. The nurses in pediatrics were wonderful! They were gentle and experts at putting an IV in babies. When they were done, they cut a Styrofoam cup in half and taped it to his leg to protect the IV from Jered’s kicking legs. That way, the IV stayed put – until a young doctor waltzed in and said, ‘We are busy and need to get these tests run as soon as possible’. I. did. not. like. him. He then proceeded to yank Jered’s stretcher so hard that the IV came out. My husband knew what was coming. ‘Listen to me, young man. I know you are busy and have a job to do, but you need to watch how you treat my son’. Then, he quipped, ‘Do you need to leave the ER, lady?’ I nearly lost it! And then I saw the church pastor, where Dan was youth director, walk in. Everyone knew and respected him. In his deep, authoritative voice, the pastor asked, ‘Is there a problem here?’ Everyone froze. The young doctor quickly responded, ‘No, pastor Billingsly. Everything is fine.’ The pastor smiled and said, ‘I’m so glad. You see, this young man is on my staff, and I would hate to see him treated badly.’ The young doctor apologized, and I decided to let him live!”
Great story. God is our heavenly Father, standing right beside us, whispering to our soul, “This is my child. She belongs to me, and you’d better watch how you treat her. And by the way, I am not going anywhere.”
You a very special to God – so much so that he even created you with a purpose. Again…
Jeremiah 1:5 = “Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.”
I believe that not understanding what our purpose is causes a lot of stress in our lives. I know that plans are rampant in your life, but the only plan that matters is the plan made for you by the one who formed you.
Psalm 139:16 = “You saw my body as it was formed. All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old.”
We will never be contented outside of that plan. God will give us everything we need to succeed.
I Thessalonians 5:24 = “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”
So how do you find that amazing plan created specifically for you by the One Who created the entire universe?
Matthew 7:7-8 = “Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.”
So there’s your answer: Ask! Seek! Knock!
How?
1. Have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
2. Spend time alone with God every day.
3. Study the instruction manual.
4. Pray.
5. Join other seekers of God’s plan.
We are created, loved, chosen, and set apart by God. Living out that truth will fill your life with peace and joy.
I know you may be in a circumstance or situation right now that makes you question God’s plan. But stand firm, and don’t give up! He is with you.
There’s the story of woman who came across some amazing carved wooden statues of dogs. When she asked the man who created how he could create such beauty from a block of wood, he simply replied, “I just take my knife and carve away everything that doesn’t look like a dog.”
I don’t know if the story is true or not, but it does have a powerful truth in it. Sometimes it takes painful carving to discover who we are and what the plan is for our lives, carving away those areas of our lives that don’t belong, revealing more underneath of who we truly are. But even in the carving times, which can be quite painful, just remember that God loves you and is with you the whole way through… and he has an amazing plan for you, specifically for you – and you have a purpose, a specific purpose just for you – which is the whole reason God created you in the first place.
You don’t have to look for love in all the wrong places (or look for it at all), because you just heard God’s version of “What I Like About You.”
CLOSE=====
This week’s message was adapted from an article by Mary Southerland on Crosswalk.com entitled “What Does God Think About You”. I’ve placed a link to the article in the show notes.
If you like what you heard, share this episode with others whom you think might also like it. Maybe the person you share it with will want to join this Weirdo congregation too! To join this Weirdo family yourself, just click that subscribe or follow button! If you want to get in touch with me, you can find all of my social media, postal address, and other contact information at WeirdDarkness.com. That’s also where you can find the daily Weird Darkness podcast if you like creepy true stories of the paranormal, unexplained, true crime, and all things strange and macabre. I’m Darren Marlar. Thanks for joining me, Weirdos. Until next time, Jesus loves you and so do I. God bless.
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