Beloved
Posted by: Asn <Asn@...>
To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:7 (KJV)
Beloved. We've heard the word so many times, we scarcely give it a thought. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today ..." Since the speaker doesn't know you from Adam, we dismiss the words as trite and anticipate the more meaningful parts of the ceremony. Hear the word "beloved" from God's mouth, however, and it might serve us well to give this seemingly insignificant word a second look.
The King James Version of the bible references the word "beloved" 106 times. We know that God called Jesus His "beloved Son" in Matthew 3:17 and 17:5 (among others). Moses called Benjamin "beloved of the Lord" in Deuteronomy 33:12, and David is called God's beloved in Psalm 60:5 and 108:6. Paul called those in most of the churches he founded beloved, as well as several ministry friends throughout the New Testament.
I have uncovered three meanings for the word beloved:
1. Dearly loved;
2. Dear to the heart;
3. Highly valued; precious.
A synonym for the word is "adored."
If you haven't considered it lately (or ever), I invite you to selah – pause and calmly think about this. You (yes, you!) are dearly loved by your Heavenly Father. Let it flash like a neon sign emblazoned across your heart: dearly loved. You are precious and dear to God's heart. He values you highly. On days when you feel like a bowling pin with hair (when the enemy throws his worst at you), you are dearly, dearly loved by your Father. When the words of insecure people try to chip away at your own foundation, remember you are highly valued. When you've messed up so terribly it seems there's no way out, God still loves you! You can't escape His love. Beloved. Selah.
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