Friday Devotional - Who Are You?
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
— 1 Corinthians 10:31
Devotional by Rory Larsen
Who Are You?
With the blurry lines in today’s cultural construct, understanding one’s identity is getting increasingly difficult for the upcoming generations. It used to be that normal parenting consisted of encouraging our children that they could “be” anything they wanted to be. They were encouraged that they could become a doctor, lawyer, police officer and even the President of the United States. Today though, it seems the parenting verbiage used is the same, “…you can be anything you want to be…” but has taken on a whole new meaning. Mental illness is encouraged and now we have a generation of identity confusion.
However, none of this matters in the grand scheme of things once you know Jesus Christ. When you accept the sacrifice that Jesus paid on the cross and decide to become a Christian, you are making an identity exchange with the creator of the universe. Even more than that, accepting Jesus Christ is more than just a substitution for a poorly lived life and bad behavior. An actual transactional exchange takes place, and we become a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)
The answer to the question that I started with, “Who are you?”. Begins anew once you accept Jesus Christ. Literally, a transaction occurs whereby you exchange who you are for who He is. His life now becomes your life and who you are is defined by this transaction. I hear people say that Jesus is my Savior and Lord, and if that is true…who are you? Here is what the word of God says, “Now, this is what YAHWEH says: ‘Listen, Jacob, to the One who created you, Israel, to the one who shaped WHO YOU ARE. Do not fear, for I, your Kinsman-Redeemer, will rescue you. I have called you by name, and YOU ARE MINE.’” (Isaiah 43:1 TPT Emphasis Mine) The spiritual transaction that takes place, not only has He become something to you, but you have also become something to Him. Thus saith the Lord, “YOU ARE MINE”.