“Hot Topics, Cool Truths.” Created to Love
Today’s Verse:
Ephesians 2:10 ESV
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
In a culture that constantly promotes self-love, self-care, and self-worth, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of opinions about what it means to value oneself. Some say it’s about chasing your dreams. Others say it’s about looking out for number one. However, Scripture offers us a deeper, more profound truth—one not based on trends, but on our eternal identity.
You are God’s workmanship. The Greek word used here is poiēma, from which we derive our word "poem"—a beautiful, intentional creation. You are not an accident or a mistake. You are a beloved child of God, handcrafted by the Creator and redeemed through Christ.
That truth reshapes how we view ourselves. Likes, followers, or achievements don’t measure our worth. It’s rooted in Christ, who gave Himself for us on the cross. And when we see ourselves through His eyes, we’re set free—not to live for ourselves, but to live for others.
Self-love, then, isn’t prideful or self-centered. In Christ, it becomes humble gratitude for who God made us to be, so that we can serve others with joy. As Luther once said, “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.”
God prepared good works for you today—not to earn your worth, but to live out your worth. Loving your neighbor begins by recognizing how deeply loved you are.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Gracious Lord, thank You for creating me in love and redeeming me through Christ. Teach me to see myself through Your eyes, so that I may love and serve those around me joyfully. Let my life reflect the good works You’ve prepared for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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