Who Am I?
It's good to be with you again. Laura and I are back in the States from our vacation to Greece and had a great time. Feeling refreshed and ready to get back to it. One thing I was interested to learn over there is that antient Greece was essentially the creators of philosophy. Philosophy, which basically is the study of fundamental questions, arose in the 6th century BC and continued through the Hellenistic period where Greek culture influenced the entire world (and we still feel the affects today). So with that, I have a philosophical question for you: Who are you?
We live in a world that is trying to answer that question. People everywhere are confused about their purpose in life (just visit a university) and are searching for meaning. People everywhere are deceived about their identity. Some go as far to believe that because they feel a same-sex attraction, then that must be because they are gay. So in effect, they embrace their feelings and form their identity around that. In other cases, some go as far as to transition to a new gender because they don't identify with their God-given gender at birth.
Also, men and women can both struggle uniquely with their identity. Traditionally, men ultimately value their careers and providing for their family. And if, for example, a man loses his job or struggles to put food on the table, it really hurts him to the core. Conversely, women traditionally value their marriage, family and home above all else. So if a woman struggles to get a date or have kids, that can be a a gut-punch for her and shakes her identity. Needless to say, there's an identity crisis in this world. So I ask again, who are you?
Before I answer that, a more important philosophical question is: "Is there a God?" And if so, who is He and who does He say I am? And so, the Bible, which is the clear Word of God (Jesus), tells us that our identity is one of two options: an orphan or a child of God. In other words, we are either lost and broken because of our sins, separated from God and subject to death... OR... we are set free from the power of sin by faith in the blood of Jesus, become a new person, and God himself adopts us into His own family to live with Him and enjoy a relationship with Him for all eternity. The simple answer to my question is, if you've placed your faith and life in Jesus Christ, you are a child of God. It's that simple. That's who you are.
He came into the very world he created, but the world didn't recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. they are reborn -- not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. - John 1:10-13 NLT
If you, like me, are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are a child of God before anything else. This comes before your career, your marital status, your family, gender, sexual attraction, citizenship, political leanings, or any other tag we may put on ourselves. You are a child of God first, and everything else filters through that, not the other way around. Knowing our proper identity in Christ is crucial to live free and healthy lives.
It also gives us the courage to deal with difficulties in our lives. For instance, if I lose my job, I probably would freak out. I almost got fired once and it was really scary. But even if I do lose my job or get fired (God forbid), I’m still something greater than a pastor — I’m a child of God. Knowing that will help ground me. It will help me realize that God is still with me. He’s still for me. He has great plans and purposes for me. He never wastes a season and will re-work anything for my good because I’m His child. May we all know who we are in Christ, and be flooded with the joy and wisdom that comes from that everyday.
By some reason you stumbled upon this blog and you aren’t a follower of Jesus (that is—you haven’t surrendered to His lordship over your life), I just want you to know Jesus died for you too. He wants a relationship with you. When you place your faith in and surrender your life to Jesus, He makes you new and He gives you purpose and meaning perhaps you’ve been searching for.