Identity — Adoption - Monday
TODAY’S VERSE
Ephesians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. (ESV)
“Take away your role, career, accolades, your resume, and what others think of you — who are you?”
I grew up in the church and knew the right answer when it came to identity. And although I was surrounded by the truth, I had stopped letting it shape my life. I could easily look at someone and say that Jesus was most important, and that my identity was rooted in Him. However, my choices often told a different story. As I got out of the house and headed off to college, I had one goal: chase fame, money, and success through sports. I wanted to be seen and known, and I kept reaching for the next thing, hoping it would make me feel like I mattered. That I had value.
I remember finishing my graduate coaching position as a special assistant to the Director of Basketball Operations at the University of New Mexico. I thought I knew where my life was headed: a full-time job coaching college basketball. However, when my position ended, there wasn’t a path forward. And I felt like no one was there to help me take the next step toward that dream. The inevitable result? I had an identity crisis.
Have you ever watched the door slam on Plan A — the future you were counting on, the plan you built without really bringing God into the equation? Suddenly, there is no Plan B. You’re scrambling, asking, “What now?” That was me. However, beneath that question was an even bigger one: If this dream doesn’t happen, who am I?
Identity answers three questions: “Who am I? Whose am I? What do I have?” Scott raised those questions in his sermon yesterday. Looking back, I can see I was asking sports, money, success, and recognition to answer them. As Scott described, it’s like living as an orphan — looking to people and things for what only God our Heavenly Father can give.
That’s why Ephesians 1:3-4 matters for us as believers. Paul reminds us that in Christ we are blessed, chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven and sealed with the Holy Spirit. Our identity is who God says we are because of Jesus. I was striving to achieve an identity that can only be received. I wonder if you’ve been striving to do the same?
APPLICATION
As believers, our identity is received through Christ. It’s not earned through our achievements, and it’s not defined by our past or other’s opinions. Read Ephesians 1:3-4, then write out some of the ways you’ve been striving to achieve your identity in the world instead of receiving your identity from God. After you’ve done this, listen to the song Who You Say I Am.
PRAYER
Father, help me to remember who You say I am. Help me to know that when I fall short and forget, that You still love me, and that You are still for me. Lord, forgive me when I find my identity in the things of this world. Draw me closer to You and help me to see things the way You do. Help me to see myself the way You see me. Strip from me anything that is of this world and replace it with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.