READ: ROMANS 8:14-17; GALATIANS 3:26-28

Liar. Drunk. Adulterer. Coward.

Scroll through the news on any given day, and chances are you’ll find individuals who have been assigned disparaging labels. These labels are not new. In the Bible, we find that Jacob was a liar, Noah was a drunk, David was an adulterer, and Jonah was a coward. And yet, God worked in and through each of them in mighty ways.

What labels do you hear in a day? Theater kid, athlete, gamer? Labels can be positive: all-star, honor student, hard worker. Or negative: loser, cheater, troublemaker.

Problems occur when we let labels define us and those around us. We might try to steer clear of people with negative labels to avoid being associated with them, or we might try to befriend those with positive labels to elevate ourselves.

However, God is concerned with only one label. Are you His child? Have you received the label of believer by putting your trust in Jesus? If so, in the new creation you will be surrounded by people who were given many different labels while on earth, but in eternity, none of those matter. And today, God helps us treat each other in light of eternity (Romans 12:16; James 2:1-9).

Maybe you’ve received Jesus as your Savior, but you messed up big-time. That still doesn’t change who you are in Christ. Our mistakes don’t define us. Sin may have consequences, but it doesn’t change who we are. That’s the beauty and power of forgiveness. God does not look at our mistakes and label us accordingly. Because our sins are forgiven, He looks at us as His unblemished, holy, beloved children. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He took all the labels and sins and threw them away. The only label we need to be concerned with is the one He gives us: child of God—loved, forgiven, and adopted into His eternal family. • Erin Nestico

• If you have some time, consider taking a piece of paper and dividing it into three columns. In the first column, list all the labels you think other people give you. In the middle column, list all the labels you give yourself. In the third column, list all the labels God gives you (to get a few ideas, read Genesis 1:27; John 1:12; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Peter 2:9). As you look at each column, how do you feel? Consider spending some time in prayer, talking to Jesus about the labels in each column and asking Him to help you see yourself the way He sees you.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

READ: GENESIS 1:27; PSALM 139:13; MATTHEW 5:14-16

Bullying. It’s painful to experience. But here’s the thing: I don’t know bullying’s pain because I’ve been bullied. I know its pain because I have been the bully.

I’ve made fun of people. I’ve gossiped about people I didn’t like. I’ve secretly judged the so-called “losers.” But I’d been trying to live my life for Jesus and be different. I wasn’t one of those people, right? But I was one of those people. I was a bully.

It took a long week—full of conviction, tears, and prayer—for Jesus to help me see that reality, changing my life and outlook. I realized I wasn’t just hurting the people I was mocking, teasing, gossiping about, and hating. I was hurting Jesus, the one who loved me so much He died so I could be forgiven for my sins, including bullying (Matthew 25:31-46; Ephesians 4:29-32). I was not acting like I belonged to Him. I was taking God’s creations, made after His own image, and raising myself above them. Like I was better than them.

But I’m not. I need Jesus’s grace—just like everyone else. Bullying is a sin because it forgets that every person was created in God’s image. Basically, making fun of other people is hating on God and His good creation.

As I sought to turn away from the sin of bullying, Jesus was with me— working in me to make me more like Himself. I apologized to the people I hurt. God was humbling me so I didn’t see myself as better than others, but equal to them in His eyes. I started to see people as wonderful, interesting creations of God Himself, even becoming friends with people who were still being hated on by others.

No matter how badly we’ve messed up, Jesus can forgive, restore, and transform us (Luke 23:34). We can even become a light to others who are struggling. He redeems us from our brokenness and gives us the opportunity to share His love and truth with others. • Natalie Gilkinson

• Why is it important that (1) God created all people in His image, and (2) we are all sinners in need of Jesus? How might these truths affect the way we see those around us? (Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:11-12, 23-24; 6:23)

• If you are bullying others, are being bullied, or are seeing bullying happen, who is a trusted adult you can talk to about it?

Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all. Proverbs 22:2 (NIV)

READ: LUKE 17:11-19

“Jesus is coming,” Nathanael whispers. “He’s coming.” “Jesus?” I say, scratching another sore on my arm until it weeps.

“Oh, you Samaritans! Don’t you know anything?” Nathanael sighs. “He’s the Healer, like the prophets predicted. He can save us—even you.”

Ten of us are still alive in this leper colony. Staying at home would put our families at risk. Tears prick my eyes as I think of the day I left behind my wife and son—of the sadness on their faces. I miss them.

“Unclean!” people scream at us, hurrying by. “Ugh! Look at them!”

“Dear God,” I pray, “please, let Jesus heal me.”

“Jesus is coming,” Nathanael cries. “A huge crowd is following Him.”

“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” we cry over and over again until our throats dry up. Sunshine scorches us, playing havoc with our wounds, my heart thumps as Jesus stops. He does not run away. His eyes reflect compassion and love. He reaches out to us. The crowd immediately disperses, shuddering.

“Go show yourselves to the priests,” Jesus says.

I want to shout out that they won’t let us near them. But then I remember my prayer, and I wonder if, maybe, this is God’s answer.

All of us obey. As we walk, my skin tingles. The heat is no longer intense. Before I even look down, I know I am well. Overcome with emotion, I jump up into the air!

I begin to praise God loudly, running back to Jesus, falling on the stony ground at His feet, unable to stop thanking Him.

Jesus speaks, His eyes rich with love, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner? Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

I run home, my heart soaring. Jesus has saved my life. • Cindy Lee

• Today’s story is how one author imagines Luke 17:11-19. When have you felt like an outcast? Read John 1:12 and 3:16. How does Jesus give us a place to belong? (To learn more, see or "Know Jesus" page.)

[Jesus said,] “Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” Luke 17:18 (NLT)