|
home / Religion
WHO are you?
Josh Barrett
Sunday, January 31, 2010
One of the greatest fears we people have is that of losing our IDENTITY. Your IDENTITY defines your purpose in life! If you were asked to IDENTIFY yourself -- you would probably get some form of ID out of your wallet. If you look hard enough, there is bound to be something you carry that describes you -- your physical description and probably your relationship to other people or an organization. You might have a driver's license, an employee badge, a debit or credit card, a library card, a union card, or possibly military dog tags. These are but a few of the many types of IDs we take with us almost everywhere we go.
And we know -- our intangible IDENTITIES can be lost in a moment's notice without any malicious intent involved, as well. It happens when the children leave home and mom is no longer a mom, or when a spouse passes away and you are no longer a husband or a wife. These losses can sometimes translate into having no reason to continue living. Just as important as our IDENTITY is in regard to our finances and/or possessions - an even more important IDENTITY exists that is based on WHO and WHAT we are, rather than WHAT we physically own.
If you are a ‘Follower of Christ’ – THAT is your IDENTITY! With that being said, do you ever find it difficult living up to what God expects of you in your daily life? I do -- and what a frustrating life that can be at times! No matter how hard any of us try to do what the Scriptures say, the Christian walk continues to be a challenge! Its demands are clear: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ and ‘Love one another as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.’ And WHAT does that LOVE look like exactly? ‘He laid down His Life!’ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 actually explains this type of LOVE in a more descriptive fashion: ‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…’ In reality, LOVING others like Christ can be a pretty daunting task! I mean… there appears to be no real way to measure up to these – or is there? On the outside a person might look and sound good to some -- but on the inside there is a totally different story being told!
Here’s what I mean: Just like the physical identity described by the ID you would have pulled from a wallet or purse, the reality is that we also have spiritual IDENTITIES that describe WHO we are and WHAT we possess in the spiritual realm. Actually, the Bible contains several ‘before and after’ contrasts of WHO we were Before and WHO we are After being ‘IN CHRIST.’ When Christ is invited into a person's heart -- a metamorphosis begins to take place. God refers to it as becoming a ‘new creation IN CHRIST!’ It's kind of like the caterpillar changing into a butterfly. The butterfly isn't a caterpillar with wings - it is a NEW being with a NEW IDENTITY! The caterpillar is known for crawling on the earth with its many feet and eating leaves. The butterfly is known for being able to fly in the air – with wings of beauty. That old being is GONE and so is its IDENTITY! The caterpillar had no part in that process of change -- its Creator did it all! And so, the butterfly can never be a caterpillar again because God did away with the OLD creation and made a NEW creation! That same process of change occurs to every person who is ‘IN CHRIST!’ Your Old IDENTITY is gone and your New IDENTITY is eternal – this is HOW you can begin to CHANGE YOUR IDENTITY! Understanding that YOU have no real part in that CHANGE! It’s because of WHAT CHRIST has done IN YOU that enables YOU to MAKE THAT CHANGE! The ability to then be LIKE CHRIST – living up to His standards!
Come join with the CHURCH OF CELEBRATION over the next several weeks in February to discover exactly HOW you, too, can obtain a NEW “IDENTITY!”
Josh Barrett is the Lead Pastor at the Church of Celebration in Maricopa. Check out their website at www.churchofcelebration.com or feel free to contact him at office@churchofcelebration.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Josh Barrett
Church of Celebration's Pastor Josh Barrett.
|