OUR IDENTITY

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

Psalm 100:3

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

How do you identify yourself in life? I mean, who are you – really?

The answer to that question depends largely on your mindset.

In a society today that is more “I” and “me” centered, you’ll probably identify yourself with your work, your status, or your achievements? What you do defines you.

If you have a family, maybe they define you more than anything. I know my youngest daughter has her hands full with a four year old, a one year old, and a newborn at home. With her husband serving our country in the Air Force and working a lot of hours, my daughter’s life is pretty much consumed by the kids and she would identify most with being a mother with little time on her hands outside of rearing the little ones.

And then there are those who have a strong faith life in Christ. For those who do, nothing identifies them more than Jesus, first and foremost. And this is the way it should be if you are a Christian for Christ’s purpose for coming to live and die here on earth was centered on saving us. It was never about Him but us. In return as a simple way to express our gratitude for Him, we should give Him our all including our identity.

We have this identity in Christ because of God the Father. We know this from the one verse in the scriptures that people are most familiar with, John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God gave His Son for us so we might have the opportunity to one day live with Him and Jesus forever. For Christians, this is our destiny and reward for a life dedicated to Christ as we identify ourselves as Christians. But we also have an identity based on our relationship with our Heavenly Father and we find it in one single verse from the 100th Psalm:

Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

In just twenty-five words, we gain knowledge of who we are in life, of what our identity is. Consider these three main identifiers:

1. We are made by God.

We are God’s handiwork, crafted and shaped by His hands. Each of us is unique, no two people are identical like there are no identical snowflakes when they fall. Even those believed to be perfect twins develop with different personalities even though they may look the same. No one creates like the Lord our God who made us and loves us just the way we are.

2. Because God made us, we belong to Him.

He is our Father and we are His children. He loves us and raises us with a parent’s tender care – and not like any worldly parent because God perfectly parents us and ever seeks to lead us toward righteousness and holiness as we dwell in His creation.

3. While we dwell in His creation, we are the sheep of His pasture.

God makes us and raises us, placing us here on earth. He watches over us and tends to us as a shepherd leads his flock. The Lord our God knows how vulnerable we are in our humanity and how much peril in before us. Like sheep left unattended, we would be easy fodder for predators who would like to have their way with us without God’s protection and providence. In Him, we find all we need as highlighted by these classic words from the 23rd Psalm:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 

As we get set to say farewell to 2012 and welcome to a new year full of new situations and circumstances, let’s stay focused on our true identity: Christians who are saved by the shed blood of our Savior Jesus Christ and children of the Lord Most High who created us and now guides and shepherds us through life until that day when we see our salvation promise fulfilled and live with God and Jesus forever more.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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