Identity in christ (part 2). He is the foundation. (John 15:5-I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.) See its not just you in there, in fact its mostly not you. Its Christ living IN you and shaping you to be like Him. (Galatians 2:20- I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.) When you dont have feet to stand on, He says here, let me be your feet. God is your foundation, He is the basis of what the new you, the you youll be for the rest of your life, is being built on. (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) Now construction starts. This is God working WITH and IN you to make you, you. To make you an individual. The foundation is set, now its time to start building walls. Not cheap Ikea walls like the old house had, no. These are God quality walls. And this is how He works with you to make the new you. Now dont get me wrong, you are by no means perfect, you are by no means God or even close. But He is making you in His image while still keeping you an individual. Youll still struggle, cause the old family, the bad one that kept you in disrepair, they left when Jesus bought you, but they also didnt leave. Now picture that old family as weeds in your trophy garden. (Just bear with me for a sec) the weeds sprout up; sin, doubt, negativity, depression. But Jesus made a deal with God when He bought you. He signed on the dotted line and said that when those weeds show up, and they will always show up. Theyre never going to completely go away. He will be there to tear out those weeds, sometimes before you even know they are there. This is His forgiveness. And now that Jesus bought you and He was worked with you to build a new house, a new family moves in. Joy, positivity, love. The good ones. (Colossians 3:12-Put on then, as Gods chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,) Heres another example of how God helps you to overcome yourself, and help with your identity. (Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me. Psalm 69:1-3, 5, 14, 15 ESV) This swamp, this flood. Thats your sin, your doubt, whatever your problems are. Mine is doubt and depression. All in all, God is our identity, and He works with us to shape our identity. Dont be afraid to change to be yourself, as long as you know that God is the one who is making that change.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 00:30:28 +0000