What He says we are

Lately I have been reading a devotional about our identity. We have three kind of. We have what the world says we are. We have what we say we are. Then there’s what God says we are. The first two are not fully accurate. The world (people) will only look at what they either see on the surface or what they want to see. We also give ourselves a fake identity. We might think too highly of ourselves or if we listen to people we might take on what they say. Then there is what God says. He sees all of us. The whole person inside and out. What he says about us is completely accurate. With that in mind we should put our trust in what he says and not what the world or ourselves say. In John 1:12 we learn that if we receive and believe in Jesus then we have the right to be called children of God. In John 15:15 it says that we are no longer called servants but friends because Jesus has made known to us what he learned from the Father. In Romans 8:17 we are called heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ if we share in his sufferings in order that we may share in his glory. To be considered a child, a friend and an heir of God almighty sounds pretty good doesn’t it? What about that suffering business though? Does that mean we all must be beaten and hung on a cross? I think Jesus suffered more than that. Remember where he came from. Heaven! He came here to earth and lived in a human body! We all know what that’s like! It can be painful. Remember how he was treated. Many people hated him. A lot of them were his own people! Listen, I don’t know whether we will have to endure any kind of torture like he did, but if so I think we should do it with the same integrity that he did. What I do know is that because we live in a world where sin is present then we will suffer. Everyone suffers here in some way. Does that mean that we are all friends of God? I think it’s how we conduct ourselves in the suffering that separates those who are His from those who are not. Instead of being angry and complaining and mistreating our loved ones and so on, we should be graceful in our pain. We should use our pain experiences to grow in our life and to comfort others because we get it. Life hurts! I don’t know about y’all but I what my identity to be in Christ! I want to be better in my painful moments so that others will see Christ in me! What about you? Dear God, help us in our pain to show those around us the love of Christ. Help us to come along side others who are suffering like we have and be a comfort to them just as you, Lord Jesus, have suffered and come alongside us to comfort us!!

Have a good day!