Identity, authority, resources (I) Identity

When I eventually surrendered to the Lord at the tender age of 29, I had left behind a string of broken hearts. But I had a broken heart of my own in the aftermath of the rejection that accompanied a failed marriage. And the longing that we likely all have for deep, personal, intimate relationships was raw within me. In fact, for the first twenty or so years of my Christian walk, this desire both for reconciliation and deep human relationships loomed far larger in me than was healthy. In particular I was driven to be accepted in a church which, certainly at that time, tended at least by some to regard divorced people as lepers. And I now describe that period of my walk as my being a Christian workaholic, and I took my identity from this!

But this phenomena is not by any means restricted to me. When you ask people who they are for example, they are likely to tell you what they do. “I’m a plumber, a builder, a mathematician.” But that is not who they are, that is what they do. What I’m saying is that too often we tend to get our identity mixed up with our works. In fact this is one of the reasons why unemployment is so difficult. It is because we loose not only our job, but our identity. For the Christian however, our identity needs to be rooted and grounded in how God sees us. And as with Jesus, He sees us as His beloved son (daughter), and He is well pleased with us (Mark 1:11). Yes I know in this quote that He was speaking to Jesus, but we are His brothers (Hebrews 2:11), and there is no favouritism with God (Romans 2:11).

It is easy for the wonder and the enormity of this, to simply bounce off our hearts. The Scripture tells us that we have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Daddy, Father” (Romans 8:15). But I have to wonder how many of us disqualify ourselves, feeling we are unworthy. And part of why we need to be as little children, is that a little child, in a loving relationship with his daddy, has no such fear. And as with earthly adoptions, a child is adopted not because of anything the child has done or can do, but rather it is out of love and compassion of the adoptive parents. However, like a child who has been too long in the orphanage, it takes a while for us to feel safe, secure and loved. That is why the Scripture tells us to behold, to look, to see, to let it sink in how much the Lord has loved us that we should be called the children of God. But this is what we are, this is who I am (1 John 3:1)!

Father, Daddy, Abba I come to you again this morning Lord, needing this relationship with You so very, very much. Forgive me Lord, for the times when I have had a heart of unbelief, failing to fully receive all of what You have given in the salvation of my soul. I pray for myself again, and all those reading this blog, that You would root us and ground us in Your incredible, healing, amazing and unconditional love. I choose to believe Lord that I am Your beloved son, and that You are pleased with me. Thank You for the assurance in Your Word, that I am accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6 NKJV), and that You have qualified me to be an inheritor of the saints in light (Colossians 1:12). Lord I choose to believe and receive and rest in You this morning, in the precious Name of Jesus Amen