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We have been studying the early stories in the Bible and my goodness, it is a bunch of failure and heartbreak. Things seem so hopeless and yet, God does something amazing in each and every situation to redeem the person and/or situation.

So often we feel like a failure in life. We aren’t successful in our jobs. Marriages are crumbling. Children don’t seem to have a relationship with the Lord. Relationships are broken. Sin has overtaken us. But there is hope. There is always hope.

We need to look back at those people of faith in the beginning of time. Adam and Eve – the very first family- totally messed up and broke the one rule God had. And then later their son murdered their other son. Abraham and Sarah lied to the rulers of the land because of their fear. Jacob was a deceiver and had a totally dysfunctional family. Moses was a murderer and later let pride get in the way of seeing the promised land.

Failures.

What do we do when we feel like a failure? When you feel hopeless, what should you do?

You love God, the very one who loves you no matter what.

Listen to the great Jewish Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.<span class="footnote" data-fn="#fen-NLT-5067a" data-link="[a]” style=”box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;”>[a] 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

This isn’t a pep talk. It isn’t a formula to be successful in life. It isn’t even a set of standards to live up to. It’s an encouragement to just love your God. To be in His presence. To soak up His essences and become like Him. To be in communion with Him, continually. He wants so much to be in a relationship with you and share all that He has for you.

So turn your attention to the Lord. Love Him. Love him with all that you are.

This is our true ID….our imprint. We have His stamp on our lives because we love Him. We leave a mark….His mark…on the world when we love Him, because His love is powerful. His love is strong. His love makes us brave.

Love God and love others. This is your True ID. 

***Thanks to John Ketchersid for another great sermon 10/11/15.