Riverside Community Church Blog

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Matthew 12:18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

 

Every once in a while you read a book that really makes you think. A book that is able to speak to how you feel on the inside and yet explain it so simply. Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen was that book for me. I must admit that I kept putting off reading this book as I sometimes gravitate towards more theologically deeper works. What struck me most in this book was the idea of what it means to live as the beloved. I know God loves me and I’m His beloved but it’s another thing to live in that reality daily. The greatest trap we all face in our lives is self-rejection. Either we live believing that we’re not worthy or we live in fear of being seen as not worthy by others. So how do we truly become the beloved? He explains it with these four words:

Taken – Knowing that we are chosen and seen as special by God
Blessed – Being affirmed by God as someone of value and worth
Broken – Seeing our suffering as a way to grow closer to God
Given – Living our life for others

Think bread. Before sitting down, we take bread, we bless it, break it and then give it to others. Now think Bread of life. Jesus embodied these four words not only while enduring the cross but living a life in this same world but with joy. Self-rejection wasn’t an issue for Jesus because He knew and lived as the Beloved. The more I become like Christ and allow Him to live in and through me, the more I too can live as the beloved. How would it change your life to live as His beloved?

1 Comment

Wow wow wow... Loved it

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