Identity

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:12-17, ESV)

A tried-and-true aspect of humanity is this: everything we do, believers and nonbelievers alike, flows from where we find our identity. I have found this to be true on both sides of the coin – walking with God and rebelling against Him. In both cases, my actions were an attempt to identify with what I perceived as my reality. Before we knew God, the Word declares, we were as sheep without a shepherd. It is natural, then, that the world struggles to find itself through a variety of means. The promise of the Gospel, however, is made profoundly clear when Paul declares we are children of God.

Things that once seemed insurmountable become petty and insignificant when looked at through the eyes of God’s child. Insults no longer diminish your character because you cling to the love of the Father. Anxiety disappears as you look with eager expectancy to the revealing of Christ in the earth. Purpose is found. Reconciliation with others is made totally possible. This is because, as we die to ourselves, the Spirit of God manifests itself in our very being. It is my prayer that we will all continue to seek God and find our true identity in following Him.

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