Society places so much emphasis on finding yourself. Self-discovery dominates the self-help books. Two of the most famous quotes are:
- Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself” (George Bernard Shaw)
- “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others” (Mahatma Gandhi)
As believers, you must find your identity in Christ. True peace cannot be found until we embrace our true identity. God’s word tells us all we need to know.
We are created in God’s image. Genesis 1:27 tells us, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” The world will try to tell us other things. This is God’s truth and we need to stand on it each and every moment of our life. We will need faith to fully embrace this truth.
What does it mean to be created in God’s image? We were made to resemble the very God who created us. We are in the likeness of God because we can exhibit his moral attributes. In Colossians 3:12 we read, “So, as those who have been chosen by God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humiltiy, gentelness and patience.” Romans 8:29 also tells us,“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”
We are redeemed by the blood of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 is one of my favorite verses, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” By the blood of Christ, my old nature and self is discarded. I am replaced with a new creation. Think of a caterpillar who is surrounded by the chrysalis. When the caterpillar exits, he becomes an entirely new creature as a butterfly. The caterpillar no longer exists. He is totally transformed as a butterfly. Our former self was rooted in sin, but the blood of Christ covers it all.
We are adopted into God’s family. John 1:12 tells us, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,”
We see it in Ephesians, 1:5 “he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,” Romans 8:15 tells us, “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!”
Galatians 4:5 also says, “to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
Sometimes it might seem difficult to embrace the fact that we are a child of God, but Scripture confirms it. We need to embrace it fully. We belong to His family and all that entails. I was blessed with a wonderful family growing up. We were a close knit extended family. I was close to most of my aunts and uncles. My step-father often said that the entire family assembled when someone sneezed. While my uncles teased me relentlessly, I knew I was deeply loved. I was also blessed to have married into a family that was also close. I know many people have not had similar experiences. If you didn’t grow up with a close family, this might be a foreign concept.
We can have similar experiences with a local church. Over the years, our church has blessed our family with meals. When we purchased our first house expecting our first child, people assembled to help us clean it so we could move in. Our church has moved us twice. If you are not part of a local church, I encourage you to become part of one.
We are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9 reads, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”
The Holy Spirit is a treasured gift. We see the mention of it throughout Scripture. The Holy Spirit is our helper and transformer. As we continue to grow in the Lord, we will become more like Him. Luke and John speak of the Holy Spirit as our helper. Luke 12:12 “for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” I don’t know about you, but I need all the help I can get.
Titus 3:5 says, “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,” Allow the Holy Spirit to work in you and allow you to be a greater reflection of God. Be the image bearer that you were meant to be.
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