Pastor Caleb Gordon: What God says matters
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:13-14).
When I was in junior high, I got made fun of for the way I looked. Looking back, I was not that different looking from so many of the kids who were in my class. Nevertheless, I was still ridiculed and insulted by so many classmates. I came home one day in tears and sat down to talk with my dad.
My father was a faithful, loving Christian man. His council was always helpful. He began by opening his Bible to the verses you read above, and he said, “It’s far more important what God says about you than what some silly junior high boy says about you.” I will never forget that.
I read and reread those two verses repeatedly, then decided I wanted to say something. I began writing my first sermon out of this text. At the time I went to a Christian school, so I asked my teacher if I could lead the morning Bible study.
Though I was afraid, I stood there ready to take whatever came my way because I trusted what this passage from God’s word said about me. I am wonderfully made. I am not a mistake. I have God’s stamp of approval on me. He did not mess up with me. He created me just the way He wanted to, and that is all that really matters.
When I finished talking, my teacher sat in tears. She could barely speak. The whole class was silent. Then they began to clap. God had applied the message to their hearts. At least from the outside looking in, it seemed that way. However, this was not what mattered most to me. The thing that mattered most was that what David wrote, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was 100% accurate. I am not a mistake, and neither are you. When God made you, He formed His image in you. That image of God is priceless. Never forget that. You were made on purpose, for a purpose. I firmly believe if we got back to this idea, there would be far less confusion about our lives.
Acts 17:26 says, “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,”
God determined before the foundation of the world who you would be and where you would be. He is the one who has put you there! Do not lose sight of that. Do not let what other people say deter you.
Often, we tend to prioritize the approval of man over the approval of God (Gal. 1:10). Our driving focus should be to please Jesus over our flesh and long for HIS approval over man’s approval. We should be dedicated to be more like Christ in all that we do.
Today, I challenge you to listen to what Jesus says rather than what the world says. Trust HIS Word, not the world. Seek first to please Christ. Follow God’s plan and instruction rather than chasing the approval of man.
Life's better this way.
Caleb Gordon is a longtime Bartlesville resident and pastor of the First Baptist Church of Cedar Vale, Kansas
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Pastor Caleb Gordon: What God says matters
