Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."¹

A Daily Encounter reader needing help shares, "The circumstances of my birth were not good. My mother, newly wedded, had me by another man. Ever since I found this out in my teenage years (when my parents finally got divorced after a horrible, horrible marriage), I have felt like an outcast, as if I were cursed because I was born in a sinful manner. I know a child of God cannot be cursed because Jesus hung on a tree for us, but it’s hard to shake the feeling sometimes. I've often felt as if God had rejected me. Is it possible for God to reject a person?"

Dear Michael (not his real name), thank you for sharing your heart. First, let me assure you that you are not rejected by God. He loves you no matter what your background is or the circumstances of your birth. God's Word assures us that he loves each of us with an everlasting love. Remember that Solomon in the Bible was the child of a woman with whom King David committed adultery, and that God forgave David, and that Jesus came through the line of David via Solomon. This is a divine example of the grace of God.

When my youngest son was still a teen, on one occasion he was very angry at me about somethingâ€"something that I can't rememberâ€"but I will never forget his reaction. He blurted out in a very angry voice, "Well, why did you have me anyhow?"
 
Immediately I replied, "Because you are a part of God's eternal plan!"

And Michael that is also true of you. YOU, too, are a part of God's eternal plan. God loves you eternally. Jesus died on the cross for YOU. Please don't ever forget that. And if you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior, I urge you to do that today. For help, please read the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" online at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

Also, at the beginning of every day I urge you to pray the following prayer: "Dear God, again today I commit and trust my life and way to you. Please guide me in the way that I should go and help me to become the person you want me to be. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

I have prayed this prayer every day ever since my youth and plan on praying it every day for the rest of my life. I encourage you to do the same. This prayer has truly revolutionized my life. If you pray this prayer every day from your heartâ€"not as a ritualâ€"it will, in time, also revolutionize your life.

And to every Daily Encounter reader I encourage you to pray the above prayer every day of your life as it can also revolutionize your life.

1. John 3:16 (NIV).

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