From God comes…
From God comes our identity. Our identity is in Christ.
A lot of people are confused today about who they are and have what is called an identity crisis. People try to define themselves based on their occupation, looks, education, gender, success, lack of money, or background. Sometimes they let others define them which can be tricky since each person we meet views us differently. Images we have of ourselves can be hazy, like looking through a carnival mirror full of distortions. Our mirror needs to reflect who we really are in Christ, not some ambiguous likeness full of uncertainty.
Once we turn our lives over to Christ, our identity is in Him, not in what the world would have us think. From that very moment, we become a new person. (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:24) Learning to view ourselves as God sees us, can make a difference in how we live our lives.
God calls us His children. (John 1:12) He has chosen us to be His. (Ephesians 1:4-5) He loves us unconditionally. (Romans 5:8) He has forgiven us. (1 John 2:12) He accepts us. (Romans 15:7) He redeems us. (Ephesians 1:7) His grace has justified us. (Romans 3:24) He does not condemn us. (Romans 8:1) He frees us from being slaves to sin. (Romans 6:6) He lets the Holy Spirit dwell in us. (1 Corinthians 6:19) He blesses us. (Ephesians 1:3) He completes us. (Colossians 2:10)
We have done nothing to earn these things. They are freely given to us because of who we are in Christ. While we may want to change our behavior to reflect our identity in Christ, we do not need to earn our salvation. (Ephesians 2:8-9) God has welcomed us into being members of His household and heirs. (Ephesians 2:19; Romans 8:17) Sometimes it helps to see ourselves as God sees us and He sees us as His children. (1 John 3:1)
Embracing our identity in Christ brings a certain peace. We have no need to seek the world’s approval. We don’t need to compare ourselves with others which usually leaves us feeling like we will never measure up. We don’t need to fear the unknown. We can even have confidence in what the future holds for us eternally because God has everything under control.
If we already know who we are, we don’t have to waste a lot of time trying to figure it out. Recognizing our identity in Christ gives us more time to live a meaningful life.
*****
“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God…”
~James 1:17 (NLT)
