Bible Verse
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・Verse Context
・Key Words
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・Main Message
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We run ourselves into the ground trying to be good enough. We work harder, serve more, perform better, hoping that one day we'll finally deserve God's love and purpose for our lives. But here's the truth that changes everything: God knew you and loved you before you took your first breath, before you accomplished a single thing, before you had the chance to mess anything up. This is about learning to rest in a love that was never based on what you do, and discovering why we keep working so hard for something that's already ours.
Short Devotional
Think about a parent holding their newborn baby for the first time. That tiny person hasn't done anything yet—hasn't earned a degree, won an award, or proven their worth. But the love is already complete. The baby is already precious, already wanted, already known. This is the picture God paints for us in Jeremiah's story. Before Jeremiah could preach a single sermon or prove he was worthy of being a prophet, God said, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." God's love and calling came first, not as a reward for good behavior.
So why do we live like we're still auditioning for a part we've already been given? We exhaust ourselves trying to earn approval that was settled before we existed. We perform, achieve, and push ourselves to the edge, believing that if we just do enough, we'll finally be worthy of God's attention. But the gospel tells us the opposite story: We were loved first, chosen first, known first. Everything we do flows from that reality, not toward it. When we finally understand this, it doesn't make us lazy—it makes us free to serve from rest instead of striving from fear.
Let's Pray
Heavenly Father,
I come before You tired from trying to earn what You've already given me. Before I formed a single thought or took my first step, You knew me. You loved me. You chose me.
Yet here I am, running myself into the ground, believing that if I just work harder, serve more, or prove myself worthy, I'll finally deserve Your love and purpose for my life.
Forgive me for treating Your grace like a prize I need to win instead of a gift I need to receive.
I confess that I've measured my worth by my performance, my achievements, and what others think of me. I've believed the lie that I need to be good enough before You can use me or love me fully.
Thank You for knowing me before I could perform, achieve, or prove anything. Thank You that Your calling on my life wasn't based on my résumé but on Your sovereign choice.
Help me rest in this truth: I am already known, already loved, already set apart for Your purposes.
Teach me to serve You from a place of rest, not exhaustion. Show me how to work from acceptance, not for acceptance.
When I'm tempted to earn what's already mine, remind me that You formed me with intention and love me without condition.
Give me the courage to stop performing and start receiving. Let me live in the freedom of being loved first, so I can love others the same way.
In the powerful name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Journaling Prompts
What specific activities or achievements do you secretly believe will finally make you worthy of God's love, and where did you learn to think this way?
If God's love for you was settled before time began, what fear or worry are you still carrying that you could actually let go of today?
If you fully believed that God knew and loved you before you accomplished anything, what would you stop doing tomorrow?
You don't have to earn what God has already freely given. The same God who knew you before you were formed still knows you now—every strength, every weakness, every fear, every dream. Let this truth settle deep into your heart this week, and watch how it changes the way you approach each day. We're walking this journey together, learning to receive what we've spent too long trying to earn.
Until next time,
May the Lord bless you and keep you;
May He make His face shine upon you;
And be gracious to you and give you peace.
God Bless!
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