Hi friend and welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

My name is Sheraton Voizzi and I've titled today's reading, Children of God.

I once spoke at a secular conference for childless couples.

Heartbroken over their inferatility, many attendees

despaired at their future. Having walked the childless path too, I tried to encourage them.

You can have a meaningful identity without becoming parents, I said. I believe you are fearfully and

wonderfully made, and there's new purpose for you to find.

A woman later approached me in tears.

Thank you, she said. I felt worthless for being childless and needed to hear that I'm

fearfully and wonderfully made. I asked the woman if she was a believer in Jesus.

I walked away from God years ago, she said, but I need a relationship with him again. Times like this remind me how

profound the gospel is. Some identities, like mother and father, are hard for some to attain. Others,

like those based on a career,

can be lost through unemployment. But through Jesus, we become God's dearly loved children,

an identity that can never be stolen. And then we can walk in the way of love, a life purpose

that transcends any role or employment status.

Psalm 139 tells us that all human beings are fearfully and wonderfully made.

And John chapter 1 says, those who follow Jesus become children of God.

Once in despair, that woman left in hope.

About to find an identity and purpose bigger than this world

can give.

Today's scripture reading is from Ephesians chapter 4 verse 32 through to chapter 5 verse 10. Be kind and compassionate to one

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