ICS Daily Devotions
Our Identity In Christ
Colossians 3:1-3 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
We live in a very performance based society where people will measure our worth based on who we are, we are forced by our parents to be successful, what kind of family background we are from, the kind of education we had, the scholarship that we have received, the grades that we have scored, the kind of cars we drive, the kind of house we have, the title behind our calling card, the circle of friends that we mix with and our net worth as a person. Consciously or subconsciously it happens in our lives no matter what kind of nationality or background that we come from. It can be very tiring to live a life where we are constantly trying to look for acceptance by everyone. We try not to “lose face” in front of others so that we can be accepted.
It is very important for us to know our identity in Christ or else it will cause us to be very insecure in God’s love, it will affect our walk with Him, and it will affect our service unto Him. It will cause us to live in condemnation and ultimately give up our faith in Christ because we are burned out trying to please God based on our own strength and credibility. Sometimes, rejection might even hinder us from coming before God to receive healing, ministry or calling into full time ministry. Thus, knowing who we are in Christ is one of the most important Christian topics to be studied and meditated upon.
Proverbs 23:7a: For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
The Bible says that as a man thinks in his heart so is he, which means that we are the product of our thoughts. We were in Adam before we accepted Christ. We acted in ways that are sinful and evil in the sight of God, and therefore, we find it difficult to approach God and find it challenging to live a holy and righteous life. However, it is not so when we are already in Christ and have renewed our mind with the Word of God. Then we will definitely walk out differently in the newness of life.
Sometimes, subconsciously we will carry the performance-based attitude into the presence of God and the burden will be very heavy on us to please a holy and righteous God. This feeling will also cause us to be uncertain and faithless when it comes to prayer because we are not confident whether God is listening to our prayers and whether we have done enough to be worthy to come before God.
Many Christians are not really doing great exploit for God in their position of influence because they are caught in the trap of performing for God in order to be accepted by Him. We are more interested in our doing rather than our being in Christ, therefore we measure our spiritual value based on our service and activities. While all godly disciplines are good and should be practiced, however, it doesn’t qualify us to be accepted by God or make Him love us more because it is not based on His requirements.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Our identity in Christ is based on grace rather than personal merits. We need to approach God through faith. That is the only demand for our salvation and Christian life. Let your godly acts flow out of God’s grace and peace. You are hidden in Him and your identity is not to be shaken or molded by outward circumstances. Enjoy being who you are in Christ!
Series: Our Identity in Christ (Part 1)
