Make A Decisionنموونە

Prayer: Before starting today’s devotional, take a second to thank God. Look around and thank Him for the things you see, whether it be other people, the sun shining, or the room you sit in. Take a moment to thank Him for the ways He shows His love to us everyday. 

You in Christ

Four years after I came to faith, I spent most of my days in a constant state of trying to measure up, working hard, mostly in vain, to meet my own impossible standards. Even though I understood my own brokenness and my need for a savior, I did not yet understand what it meant for me to be IN Christ.  I knew I had Jesus, but I did not yet understand that Jesus also had me.

My standards were based on the idea that I needed to earn the love God our Father gives. I was very aware of my brokenness—I was consumed by my daily failures and shortcomings. My days ended in defeat, and as I laid in bed at night I felt this overwhelming feeling of shame and need to apologize to God for all the ways I had failed Him. I would stare up at my ceiling and say, “I know you forgive me, but how can you love me? You must be so tired of me constantly letting you down.” Tears would fall, I would go to sleep, and then I would get up and start the cycle all over again.

These unrealistic standards I set for myself blocked out God’s direction in my life, and eventually I just ran away: from my faith, from my failures, from my Father. I ran toward anything I could put my identity in—relationships, organizations, and the party scene. After one particularly bad night of partying, my shame overcame me. I didn’t feel worthy to even call out to God. In that moment, He met me where I was. He assured me I was loved, and would always be loved. His presence came upon me like a tidal wave, and I felt my shame leave me. Since that day I have thrown all that I am into my identity in Christ. 

I am Accepted - Romans 15:7

I am Forgiven - Colossians 2:13-14

I am an Heir - Galatians 4:7

After years of feeling failure at the end of every day, God took my self-imposed standards and replaced them with truth. He would not rest until I realized that I could never find satisfaction or fulfillment when my identity was rooted in anything other than Christ.

Questions to Ask Yourself: 

1. Think about where you are finding your identity. What do these identifiers say of you? What would it look like for you to truly rest in your identity “in Christ”?
2. As you read the three verses, ask yourself which you identify with most and least. Why?

What’s Next: 

1. Do you believe that you are in Christ? Over this next week take time each day to pray over these verses. Pray that God not only reveals to you your identity in Him, but also pray He brings to your mind someone you know who needs to hears these truths as well.