Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our Reading titled Walking anew was written by Patricia Raybon.

Applaas rang out as a school's top students received certificates of excellence for academic

achievement.

But the program wasn't over.

The next award celebrated students who weren't the school's best, but instead were most improved.

They'd worked hard to raise a failing grade, correct disruptive behavior, or commit to better

attendance.

Their parents beamed and applauded, acknowledging their children's turn to a higher path,

seeing not their former shortcomings, but their walk in a new way.

The heartlifting scene offers a small picture of how our Heavenly Father sees us,

not in our old life, but now in Christ as His children.

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in His name,

he gave the right to become children of God,

wrote the Apostle John. What a loving perspective. So Paul, in Ephesians 2, reminded new believers

that once you were dead in your transgressions and sins. But in fact, we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus

to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. In this way, Peter wrote,

we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare

the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. And we are now

the people of God. Through God's eyes, our old path has no claim on us.

Let's see ourselves as God does and walk anew.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from 1. Peter chapter chapter 2 verses 9 through 12.

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