Today’s devotional: do you know who you are?
Today’s devotional, written by Anabel Gillham, asks a straightforward but unusual question: do you know who you are? It’s a challenge to understand what it really means to identify yourself as a follower of Jesus:
Do you know who you are? Do you know that those arms are outstretched, that He is standing and waiting, with a tear-streaked face, for you to run and with “one, wild leap” jump into His arms? Do you know that you are totally and completely loved? Oh, you may be surviving in your present surroundings, entertaining yourself with your “toys,” but are you separated from the One who loves you so much that He gave His life for you?
Knowing who you are brings a confidence into your life that cannot be taken away. Jesus got down on His knees, on the floor, and washed the feet of the disciples. How could He humble Himself to that degree? Well, John 13:3 tells us: “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God. . . .” Jesus knew two things: 1) who He was; and 2) that He was passionately loved by His Father.
You may label yourself an engineer, a librarian, a business mogul, a student, an accomplished vocalist, a devoted mother, a retired banker, an executive secretary, or a wife above reproach. Any of those things could be gone in the twinkling of an eye. Now, who are you? There is only one identity that is unshakable; one identity that is for eternity; one identity that will never fail you. That is your identity in Christ.
Read the rest of the devotional at Lifetime Guarantee Ministries.
Your career might change; you might acquire or lose your skills; your relationships with others might change. But your identity in Christ is set in stone.
I think in our Christian vocabulary we often confuse “identity” with “identified with.” It’s the way we use English words and can be confusing. I identify with Americans, but my identity is not an American.
I identify myself with Jesus the Messiah, citizen of his kingdom, washed in his redemption. But this isn’t my identity. And when we talk of it like this, it can be confusing, especially to the world we’re trying to share with good news.
My identity is that I’m a human. The question of “do you know who you are” is one to unpack a lifetime with the help of God, because we easily confuse our identity with our families, how we were raised, rock bands, our religion, etc. We hide in them, think we’re something other than we are because of them.
But our primary identity is that we are human, made in God’s image. Now what does that mean for each of us individually?
We are loved by God, but this is a relation, not an identity. We have a life hidden with the Messiah in God. But that is a relation, an identify with, not an identity. Martyrs do not have Jesus as their identity. Martyrs identify with Jesus. Because of this distinction some writers do not ask “who you are” but “whose you are.” It is because of that relation, identifying with, standing with Jesus, we are safe to examine our identity, open to reality at all costs because we are in his care.
I am not identical to any of the things I do, nor by who loves me and who doesn’t. I’m identical to myself. Finding out who “myself” is with my own unique history is a long journey not easily solved by just identifying with Jesus.
I am forty two years of age, a wife, a mother, a friend, a servant, a business owner and whatever other titles that describes what I do. Most of all I am a lover of God the Father, His Son and Holy Spirit. Who am I?
Today I woke up with several things on my mind. One being what does my substance consists of. What am I made of. When one purchase an item that has substance inside of it, it is referred to as being what it contains.
One does not purchase a coke and calls it a bottle, nor does one purchase a box of detergent and calls it a box. Although these substances are inside of a bottle or box the substance with in it is what they are.
I am a human filled with substance or shall I say a soul and spirit. What these substances consists of is who I am. Who I am comes out in my character (what I do and say). We have all heard the saying, “What’s in you will come out of you.†This is a good time to reflect on who one is or would like to become.
The titles we wear in life such as wife, mother, friend, servant are titles. How we perform in these titles is more important. Are we good mothers, good fathers, good husbands, good children, or good friends? Do we work at being the best at who we are or what we do? Are we self-servant first or do we serve others first? Is most of what we do contingent upon how it makes us feel first? If this is so, we have our priorities mixed up. Life is an ever learning motion picture of which we are the main characters; it is never too late to make changes or adjustments to the script.
Fear will stunt our growth, as well as, selfishness. When one focus is inward they lose the wonderful opportunity of obtaining true joy which last a lifetime. Selfishness limits one to themselves whereas giving and caring for the needs of others expands our territory and challenge us to reach our full potential.
Having children and providing for their material and basic needs are good, but pouring into your children through relationship is far greater. This is what molds the children into being good decision making adults. Likewise, being married and building material wealth is good, however, lack of nourishing ones marital union can quickly become a divided battle-ground without a spiritual or emotional relationship you have nothing. On the other hand when marital vows and God’s intentions for marriages are put into action this is when you see the two become one through spiritual unification! How awesome as God is a god of unity.
I have come to the fork in the road that I need more help. As I said before, life is a big school of learning which brings life improvement. Praying and asking God, teach me to be a good wife, teach me to be a good mother, good steward over my finances, teach me to be a good friend, teach me to be faithful in all that I do. If one thinks they already have the know how to do all things you will never be open to life improvement. Truth be told we could all use help in all areas of our lives. When one stops growing you in fact, stop living. Pray this prayer with me.
Father, I ask that you forgive me for thinking I knew it all, for thinking I had it all down. I ask you to pour into my now open heart and mind the wisdom to navigate through this gift of life you have so graciously given me. I ask that you show me how to increase in my substance that I might mirror the image of You in all that I do and say.
I confess that I don’t know and that I need the guidance of through your Word and the Holy Spirit to empower me to do good works. Let every dead works I have performed be cut down at the root that no fruit will come from it.
Let good works and thereby good fruit come forth mightily. I ask you to Lord over my life. To straighten all crooked paths, to erase all past sins and transgression from the book this day never to be remembered by you. I pray asking You to heal my hurts and pains that have caused me to react and obey human emotions. Let my soul and spirit seek for righteousness and holiness this day.
Direct my focus on the things You would have me to do. I love you Father! I hurt when I hurt you. Jesus is my source my strength. I thank you for the Comforter who was sent to lead and guide, to bring all things into remembrance, to fight on my behalf, to protect me from danger seen and unseen. Lord take not thine Holy Spirit away from me. Let me abhor that which is evil and thus cleave to that which is good.
This was SO on time. I woke up to listen to Joyce Myer and the cable was not working. So I began to dig into God’s word on the topic of Identity in Christ. I decided to come to this site and find answers and I could not believe todays’ Devotional was titled, “Do you know who you are?”
My 12 year old and I are at a crossroad and I recognize our relationship is horrible, full of hurt and satan is capitalizing on that in her heart. I am seeking to teach her HER identity so that she can fill the calling God has on her life. It must be BIG because the enemy is beign relentless! THANK YOU for this timely message.