Tuesday, July 2, 2013 -- Check The Label (1)

Recently I was searching on the internet for graphics and came upon one that showed those red and white name tags we stick on our shirts at gatherings.  This one said “Hello I am” and in the white space available for the person’s name it said, “What you label me”.  How do we identify ourselves? 

God says:  I have called you by name; you are mine.  Isaiah 43:1 NLT

Our identity or how we choose to explain ourselves is usually expressed in ways we perceive ourselves.  Sometimes we identify ourselves with our biological parents; the family in which we were raised; the country or town in which we live or lived; the schools we attended; the church and organization
s we belonged to; the friends we made along the way; the work we were, or still are, involved in; our relationship to our spouse; our relationship to our children etc. etc.  Do any of these truly explain the complex persons we are?   What if we were to identify ourselves as God intends:  “I am beautifully and wonderfully made in God’s image.”

This is how God sees us today.  How do we see ourselves?

Because of Jesus, I am right with God, pure and holy, free from sin. (1 Corinthians 1:30)

I am chosen, holy, and blameless before God. (Ephesians 1:4)

I was formerly darkness, but now I am light in the Lord. (Ephesians 5:8)

We are beloved sons and daughters of God. (John 1:12)

Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. (1 Corinthians 6:19)

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. (John 8:36)

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