Speaker: Bonnie Sala | Series: Reset | And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. – Romans 8:2

 

Do you know the difference between guilt and shame? Guilt is a feeling of responsibility and remorse while shame is a feeling of humiliation. Guilt is appropriate at times, but shame can lead us away from community with others and into twisted ideas of our worth.

Living with shame can lead us to believe we are not worthy of God’s love and forgiveness. There is a saying that goes, “we accept the love we think we deserve.” Believing that we do not deserve God’s love ignores the fact that Jesus already died for our sins! Believing our sins are too big or humiliating for love, forgiveness and acceptance is to believe our worth is other than what God tells us it is.

If our sense of worth comes from our actions, we will inevitably end up in shame.  Listen to what the Bible says about how God feels about us: Your value to God is so high that He gave His own life in exchange (I Corinthians 7:23). He loves us, His people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love He draws you to Himself (Jeremiah 31:3). You are completely forgiven, for there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1 NLT).

Practice accepting the love that God gives to you. His perspective of our worth is the foundation to living fully, without shame.

Resource Reading:  Romans 8:1-39