You’re “A Keeper” In God’s Eyes

by Dr. Marilyn Murphree

“…He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eyes…”    Deuteronomy 32:10

An art teacher who painted many pictures would periodically evaluate her work.  For the ones she didn’t think came up to her standards, she took a big brush and painted over them.  She would say about others, “This is ‘a keeper’,” and would frame them.  What a shame to see many beautiful paintings simply erased from the canvas by a swipe or two of the big brush because of some flaw or the dissatisfaction of the artist.

Sometimes we think we are not worth much on the canvas of life and think that our life is too flawed to ever be called “a keeper.”  Have you ever thought this?  You are “a keeper” in God’s eyes; and He values you more than you can imagine.  How do I know that you are “a keeper” in God’s eyes? 

Scripture points this out in many places.  Here are a few:

1. Not Willing that Any Should Perish: God loved each of us so much that He was not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9).  He does not want a single person to be lost, but to be changed by the power of the risen Savior.  Through God’s eyes, He sees your value.  He sees you as “a keeper” who is made beautiful and worthwhile by the Master’s touch, showing forth to the world His artistry.  You’re “a keeper” in God’s eyes.  You matter to Him.

2. A Long-Term Commitment: Throughout Scripture God has shown that He has made a long-term commitment to people.  Jeremiah states, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3).  He is not quick to discard us.  In His eyes, we are “keepers” whom He continues to change and blend into a completed picture.  He doesn’t give up on us when we reject Him and fail to respond to His love.  He tries another approach to get us to hear His voice and is patient with us in the process.

3. Investment in Us: God has made the greatest investment in us that He could make.  He didn’t give the least that He could give to save us from sin, but “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).   Because we are “a keeper” in His sight, He was willing to send Jesus to die on the cross so that not one of us be lost.  Because of this great investment in us, He continues to draw us by His Holy Spirit.  Can we refuse such a great investment?

4. Sees Our Potential: In God’s eyes, He sees our potential in that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  He has great hopes that we will open our hearts to His love and allow Jesus to change us.  Because He sees our potential to become conformed into the image of Christ, let us also begin to have hope for our lives in spite of our current circumstances.  You are “a keeper” in God’s eyes, and He is not finished with you yet.

5. Persistence: God does not take a casual, nonchalant attitude toward our salvation.  Jesus came to earth to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).  Jesus came to spend time searching for the lost, bringing them to Him.  Down through history He has given Christians a desire to share the Good News of salvation with those who are still unsaved.  Because we are “keepers” in God’s eyes, He sends people across our pathway to “seek” us out and to share the message one more time and in one more way with us.  Won’t you receive what He has for you today?

THINK about it: You’re “A Keeper” in God’s Eyes.

This devotion is an excerpt from the devotional book, Moments With Marilyn, written by my good friend Marilyn Murphree.  Marilyn’s devotional books contain short devotions that inspire and have practical applications in our daily lives.

Moments with Marilyn

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