“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love….In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”
—Ephesians 1:4, 7

When Jesus gave His life on the cross, He did not do it just to forgive our sins, as important as that is. Even beyond that, He did it to purchase us for Himself. We are His inheritance. We are what He gave His life for. It is because of us that He took the nails in His hands, the spear in His side, and the nails in His feet. He did it to redeem us, to buy us. We are valued and treasured by the Lord, our Father God, way, way beyond what we currently comprehend. This is why Paul prayed for us in Ephesians 1:18 that we would know “what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”

I want you to realize how essential you are to God’s heart. You are truly esteemed by your Father. You are special and important beyond any words that I could use. He chose you for Himself. Again, I pray with Paul “that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1:18). That means in you!

In fact, you are so embraced by God, you are called the bride of Christ (Rev. 19:7)! Beloved, your importance, your value, and your significance are so much greater than any validation this world or any person on earth could ever give you. But if we are depending on the world to tell us how treasured we are, if we are depending on someone to validate us, we are going to be disappointed.

Neither the world nor anybody in it can ever affirm us in a way that measures how valuable we truly are to the Father. The Father’s love for us is demonstrated by the fact that He sacrificed His Son so that we would become His inheritance. That is the ultimate act of validation. We are destined to be married to the One who chose us when we see Him face to face at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9). We will be cherished forever.

Father God, help me to receive the truth of Your love for me in the deep places of my heart. Thank You for making me significant. Help me to never look to the world to validate me.

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Rivers of Divine Truth (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2021), Used by permission.