GOD THOUGHTS FEBRUARY 2

God Thoughts February 2

Memorize: I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. Philemon 4,5

Read 1 Corinthians 7:17-24

Verse 23 leaves me speechless every-time I read it; "You were bought at a price; do not 

become slaves of human beings."  Most often with no violence threatened or money we 

are enslaved by others.  Ironically, scripture says when we come to Christ, we are his 

slave and that makes us free!

Brene Brown puts it this way in her book; Gifts of Imperfections.  Fitting in is about 

assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be to be accepted. Belonging, on the 

other hand, doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are. . .

It’s worth noting that I use the words innate and primal in the definition of belonging. I’m 

convinced that belonging is in our DNA, most likely connected to our most primitive 

survival instinct. Given how difficult it is to cultivate self-acceptance in our perfectionist 

society and how our need for belonging is hardwired, it’s no wonder that we spend our 

lives trying to fit in and gain approval. It’s so much easier to say, “I’ll be whoever or 

whatever you need me to be, as long as I feel like I’m part of this.” From gangs to 

gossiping, we’ll do what it takes to fit in if we believe it will meet our need for belonging. 

But it doesn’t. We can only belong when we offer our most authentic selves and when 

we’re embraced for who we are.

Brown, Brené. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are (p. 25,27). Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition. 

Brene, does not go far enough for, only One can embrace us for who we are-our Maker!  If 

we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, 

we belong to the Lord. Romans 14:8  Be free, by enslaving yourselves to God's love!