The Upper Room 10th January 2022 Daily Devotional | Monday Message
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God’s Beloved
Michelle Laura Heed (New York, USA)
TODAY’S READING
Psalm 139:13-18
KEY VERSE: Jesus said, “How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” – John 5:44 (NIV)
The Upper Room 10th January 2022 Daily Devotional Message
My family and I are serving as missionaries in Tanzania, Africa. I accompany my daughter Olivia to school in a bajaji (a three-wheeled tut-tut taxi). Most days, the drivers are quiet or make small talk. But one day a driver berated Olivia for having substandard Swahili. He barked at me for not having taught her better.
We dropped Olivia off at school. Later, I told her, “I’m sorry that the driver was so mean to you.” She looked at me in confusion. Mean to her? She hadn’t even noticed. I was amazed. Perhaps she felt safe enough in my presence that any criticism or accusation did not affect her.
Oh, how I want that assurance! I want to walk through life confident that my divine parent is in charge and knowing that criticism won’t matter because I rest in God’s truths.
In John 5:44 Jesus gets to the heart of the issue. It is our Creator who determines our identity, not our critics. So, we can allow God’s words to matter more than accusations from our critics. We obtain our worth from our heavenly parent who loves us.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear God, help us to root our identity in you rather than what others say. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
I am God’s beloved — that is what defines me.
PRAYER FOCUS
Taxi drivers
The Upper Room is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. The meditations are stories of real people working to live faithfully with the Bible as their touchstone. Every day, readers of The Upper Room around the world read the same story in many different languages and pray the same prayer together. Read More