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John the Apostle began his gospel account by introducing Jesus Christ as the Word of God. In doing so he referred to the account of creation in Genesis to show that Jesus Christ truly was God. He was not a newcomer to the scene but the very One who participated in the creation of the world. Through Christ's powerful spoken word He made everything and without Him nothing would have come into being. With just a word the whole world was created - the sun, the seas, animals, and humans and without Him there would still be nothing.

In our world of positive image awareness it is easy to become obsessed with our appearance. Everywhere we look there are examples of what our world holds up as attractive and successful. Just shopping at the grocery store bombards the mind with the possibilities and expectations for outward beauty. You must be thin enough, have the right hair color & style, apply your makeup correctly, & wear tight-fitting and stylish clothes that will attract attention. All of these mental gymnastics create a feeling of failure or striving in many women. Men experience this same pressure, only in a different way. Rarely, if ever, do you read a magazine article or see a commercial suggesting the need for inner beauty - it is always external.

A heavy cloak of sadness enveloped Moses, Israel's leader. The enormous burden of leading this obstinate group of people pressed in on his heart, threatening to crush him under the weight. How could these men and women, after seeing all God had done for them, turn to another god? While Moses had been on the mountain of Sinai receiving God's instructions for His chosen people, they had gotten tired of waiting, gathered all the gold they could find, and proceeded to fashion the form of a calf to which they bowed down - as if an inanimate piece of mineral from the earth could do anything for them.

It was a sad day! Most of Jesus' followers had deserted Him and only a few stood around watching in horror as their Lord was dying on a Roman cross. As they tried to piece together the events of the last week they strained to recall all the things He had told them over the past three years. They wanted to make sense of the circumstances, but their grief-filled hearts wouldn't allow it.

Moving up the walk towards the big house a familiar feeling stirred in the pit of my stomach. When I was younger whenever I had to enter a crowd of strangers I would feel very nervous and hope that I wouldn't be awkward and alone. Today a few of us were attending a dinner and Bible study that was comprised of many strangers, quite a few of whom were international students. I am not very good at small talk and wondered if this would be one of those times when I would stick close to Dad and let him carry the conversation. 

Over the years I have noticed that there are many people who have a negative self image. They do not recognize that they have been specially made by God and are loved by Him, not because of what they do or what they look like, but because of who they are. Often when people struggle with this lack of self worth they tend to put others down thinking that this will make them feel better about themselves.