Friday, September 5, 2008
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Some of our great moments as a family have been spent watching those old videos of us (we thankfully converted them to DVDs now). But they are at a time when we were all a lot younger. For a while, our firstborn had the camera all to herself. Then we added a co-star - her brother. And then along came another subject for the lens - a baby brother! And, of course, some of the most camera-worthy moments are when your baby or toddler is winning some of their first victories, doing some of those things that are irresistibly cute. You know? So often the camera was focused on our daughter's little brothers. So you'll be watching one of them doing some adorable thing when suddenly this five-year-old jumps into the picture, waving and smiling right into the camera. It's almost as if our daughter was saying, "Hey, remember me? I'm over here! Don't forget me!"
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Unforgettable You."
Left out of the picture - now that's not just a feeling reserved for little people. It may be a feeling you know all too well. You may be feeling pretty much forgotten right now, left out, passed over, neglected, on the margins. It's a painful kind of loneliness that leaves you crying out inside, "Hey, I'm here, too! Remember me?" In fact, maybe you've done some pretty wild things to try to get in the picture, but your efforts to be noticed or accepted have only left you feeling even worse.
I want you to know that there's someone who considers you unforgettable. This is not just some sentimental platitude to try to cheer you up. This is a life-changing reality that can forever change how you feel about yourself, that can open you up to the love of a lifetime.
Our word for today from the Word of God is the powerful guarantee that you are never forgotten. In Isaiah 49:15-16, God says, "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands."
It's true sometimes even the person closest to you can seem to forget you. Every human love will disappoint you at some point. But the most powerful person in the universe says, "I will not forget you." You see, He can't. He has you engraved on the palms of His hands - in nail prints.
The Son of God knew you had forgotten Him. We all have. We've lived most of our life with our back turned to our Creator, doing what we wanted instead of what He wanted. And He knew that, unless He intervened, you would be separated from Him for all eternity. That's the built-in penalty for our sin. But Jesus loves you so much that He left heaven to go to a cross where He took your hell. And now, whenever He looks at His hands, He sees the evidence of how much you mean to Him - the print of the nails.
But He doesn't force His love on you. You have to give yourself to Him. From the moment you do, you begin a love-relationship you've been missing your whole life. You will never be alone, never unloved, never abandoned again. You've walked into the strong and safe arms of the Man who died for you!
Now, if you want to begin this incredible relationship with Jesus, please tell Him that right where you are. And I would love to help you be sure that you belong to Him. In fact, our website is all about that. It's called YoursForLife.net. And I hope you'll go there today at your first convenience. I think you'll find there some information that has helped an awful lot of people secure a personal relationship with this Savior who died in their place. You know, you can also get this by way of just called us and get a little booklet called Yours For Life that I've written. The toll free number is 877-741-1200.
All this time you've forgotten Jesus. He's never forgotten you, and He never will. He loves you too much! He's got the scars to prove it.