Precious to God 上帝的宝贝
Dexu Xia
You are precious and honored in my sight. Isaiah 43:4
As a boy, Ming found his father harsh and distant. Even when Ming was ill and had to see the pediatrician, his father grumbled that it was troublesome. Once, he overheard a quarrel and learned his father had wanted him aborted. The feeling of being an unwanted child followed him into his adult years. When Ming became a believer in Jesus, he found it difficult to relate to God as Father, even though he knew Him as Lord of his life.
If, like Ming, we haven’t felt loved by our earthly fathers, we may face similar doubts in our relationship with God. We may wonder, Am I a burden to Him? Does He care about me? But while our earthly fathers may have been silent and distant, God our heavenly Father comes close and says, “I love you” (Isaiah 43:4).
In Isaiah 43, God speaks as our Creator and as a Father. If you wonder whether He wants you to live under His care as part of His family, hear what He said to His people: “Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth” (v. 6). If you wonder what you’re worth to Him, hear His affirmation: “You are precious and honored in my sight” (v. 4).
God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to pay the penalty of sin so that we who believe in Him can be with Him forever (John 3:16). Because of what He says and what He’s done for us, we can have full confidence that He wants us and loves us.
What’s your experience of relating to God as a Father? How can you remind yourself that you’re precious to Him?
Father, I want to live each day as Your child, precious and honored in Your sight.
因我看你为宝为尊。—以赛亚书43章4节
小时候，阿明总觉得父亲对他又严厉又冷淡，连他生病需要看儿科医生，父亲也会嫌麻烦。一次，他无意中听到父亲与人争执，才知道父亲当初就不要母亲生下他。此后，被遗弃的感觉一直伴随着他进入成年。阿明成为基督徒时，他虽然接受上帝是他生命的主宰，但却很难将上帝视为天父。
如果我们像阿明一样，从未感受到世上父亲的爱，我们可能也会怀疑自己与天父上帝的关系。我们可能会想：上帝会觉得我很麻烦吗？祂关心我吗？然而，虽然我们世上的父亲或许一直是沉默和疏离，但这位天父却来亲近我们，并对我们说﹕“我爱你。”（以赛亚书43章4节）
在以赛亚书43章，上帝以我们的创造者和天父的身分说话。若你想知道，上帝是否要你成为祂家中的一员，蒙祂看顾，请听上帝对祂子民所说的话﹕“将我的众子从远方带来，将我的众女从地极领回”（6节）。若你想知道，你对祂有何价值，请听祂肯定地说﹕“我看你为宝为尊。”（4节）
上帝如此爱我们，甚至差遣耶稣为你我的罪受刑罚，让所有相信祂的人可以永远与祂同在（约翰福音3章16节）。基于祂所说的，以及祂为我们所做的一切，我们可以完全相信祂接纳我们，并且深爱我们。
你的生命经历是否能让你视上帝为父亲？为什么？
你要如何提醒自己，你是祂的宝贝？
天父，求祢帮助我每天都不忘记，我是祢的儿女，
在祢眼中是宝贵的，是尊贵的