Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our Reading titled, Precious to God, was written by Jasmine Go.

As a boy, Ming found his father harsh and distant.

Even when Ming was ill and had to see the pediatrician,

his father grumbled that it was troublesome. Once he overheard a quarrel and learned his father

had wanted him aborted. The feeling of being an unwanted child followed him into his adult years.

When Ming became a believer in Jesus,

he found it difficult to relate to God as father, even though he knew him as Lord of his life.

If, like Ming, we haven't felt loved by our earthly fathers, we may face similar doubts in our

relationship with God we may

wonder am I a burden to him does he care about me but while our earthly fathers

may have been silent and distant God our heavenly father comes close and says I

love you in Isaiah 43 God speaks as our creator and as a father. If you wonder

whether he wants you to live under his care as part of his family, hear what he says to his people.

Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth. If you wonder what

you're worth to him, hear his affirmation.

You are precious and honored in my sight.

God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to pay the penalty of sin

so that we who believe in him can be with him forever.

Because of what he says and what he's done for us, we can

have full confidence that he wants us and loves us.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Isaiah chapter 43 verses 1 through 7.

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