Many of us struggle to believe we have value and worth. We feel insignificant and worthless and often other people contribute to this low self-esteem, which can be at the root of many mental health issues faced today. We need to be secure in our identity in God, living by God’s evaluation of who we are rather than our own ideas, other people’s judgments or the enemy’s lies.

God says we are…

1. children of God (John 1:12, 1 Jn 3:1)
2. heirs of God (Rom 8:17)
3. friends of God (Jn 15:14)
4. accepted by God and free from condemnation (Rom 15:7, Rom 8:1)
5. forgiven and redeemed (Col 1:13-14)
6. temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19)
7. new creations (2 Cor 5:17)
8. priests before God (1 Pet 2:9, Rev 5:10)
9. chosen by God (Eph 1:4)
10. people who belong to God (1 Pet 2:9)
11. freed by God (Gal 5:1)
12. no longer slaves to sin (Rom 6:14)
13. holy and blameless in God’s sigh (Eph 1:3-4)
14. seated with Christ in heavenly places (Eph 2:6)
15. sealed with God’s Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13)
16. the light of the world (Matt 5:14)
17. secure in God’s love (Rom 8:38-39)
18. more than conquerors through Christ (Rom 8:37)
19. safe with God (Col 3:3)
20. part of the body of Christ (Rom 12:5)

Eph 1:11 in the Message version says ‘it’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.’ Only Christ can give us a purposeful identity.

In our alphabet series of things essential to Christian faith, we’ve reached the letter Y… and whilst there are many useful things beginning with Y (yoke, yeast… not to mention the holy name of God ‘Yahweh’), the ingredient we looked at tonight is YOU! Y is for You.

Most of life is spent understanding that we are not the centre of the universe and that our lives need to be God-centred and God-oriented. It’s true, however, that we are an essential ingredient in this faith journey as far as God is concerned, because He made us for a relationship with Himself. We are made in God’s image (Gen 1:27) and the creation of humanity was described by God as ‘very good’ (Gen 1:31). We may often feel unimportant, insignificant and useless, but God tells us a very different story about our identity and our purpose.

Far from being a faceless number, God knows us by name (see Ex 33:12, Is 43:1) and names are hugely important in the Bible. We often get bored by the genealogies, but they are testimony to the importance and value of individuals.People are listed by name (Numbers 1:20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36,38, 40, 42). Priests are listed by name (1 Chron 23:24). Musicians are listed by name (1 Chron 25). Paul frequently mentions people by name – Phoebe, Epenetus, Adronicus, Junia, Ampliatus, Urbanus, Appelles, Herodian, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and so on (Romans 16). We often know nothing whatsoever about these people or their role in God’s story, but the fact that their names are recorded for us shows us how much God values each individual and so we can be sure that He values each one of us just the same. We may never be famous; our names may never be known widely even within our own communities, but God knows each one of us by name and has good works for us to do which are tailor-made for us. (Eph 2:10) Jesus constantly teaches us the value of individuals (see Matt 6:25-34, Matt 10:29-31) and the parables found in Luke 15 demonstrate the fact that God cares for the one – the lost coin, the lost sheep, the lost son. Never underestimate your value and worth. Jesus died for you. He thinks you’re worth it.

Despite our beach games at Scarborough yesterday, most of us were rather surprised when Stephen told us we were all bursting with energy and passion, were athletic, strong and courageous at this morning’s meeting at Cherry Tree Court! Was he looking at the same congregation we could see?! Was he blind?!

In talking from 1 Cor 9:24-27, Stephen ultimately was talking about spiritual fitness: how life is compared to a race which must be run by us all. We need focus and determination in this race of life, a single-minded pursuit of the crown of life which God has reserved for those who love Him (James 1:12). Spiritual disciplines are necessary – we have to learn to pray and seek God and to throw off everything that hinders us (see Heb 12:1-3). In an ordinary race, there can be many competitors but only one winner, but in this race of life, what matters is completion, finishing well (2 Tim 4:7). We don’t have to run in isolation or in competition with others, for each of us has a purpose, a route, a course to run and we can all receive a crown of glory which will never perish or fade like the laurel crowns awarded to runners in Paul’s time. (1 Pet 1:4) Let’s get running!

Here are some of Stacey’s photos of Scarborough:

An ice-cream worth eating!

Fun on the beach…

Yesterday, the church organised a day trip to Scarborough. It was a lovely time, with good weather, beach games and the chance for seaside fish and chips!

The children had fun burying Stacey in the sand (and the adults too!)

More photos to follow later…

Garry asked us tonight if we had heard of Mordecai Ham. Most of us had not. All of us, however, had heard of Billy Graham, the famous American evangelist who recently died. Mordecai Ham was a Baptist evangelist whose influence on Billy Graham was profound.

We do not always see the influence we have on other people and can feel that we are insignificant and unimportant. Not all of us are kings or queens, or even mildly famous. But all of us have an influence on others – the power to affect people’s lives for good or for ill. Every parent is entrusted with a profound influence, for our children are precious gifts from God. Every person will meet many people throughout their lives – some in person, some through social media, some through other means. We have the capacity to influence many people and to affect them, being light and salt in the world. Our attitudes, our faith, our hope, our words and our actions all have the potential to influence others.

Peer pressure is a powerful thing; like Israel, we can want to be like everyone else. Their values, attitudes and influences can shape our lives. Those who spend time in the presence of God will inevitably be more influenced by God than by the world around them. We are transformed into the image of that which we worship. Let us worship God and allow His influence to influence us, so that our influence can then influence others for His glory.