How does God See Me?

John 1:12

I am a child of God

1 Peter 2:9

I am a part of a royal lineage

Romans 8:35-39

I am loved by God and nothing can separate me from His love

I am a conqueror

Ephesians 1:4

I am chosen by God

Colossians 2:13-14

I am forgiven and my sin/debt has been paid in full

Philippians 4:13

I am strengthened for all tasks to which God calls me

John 14:16

I have the Holy Spirit in me

Romans 5:1

I have peace with God through Jesus

Hebrew 13:5

I am never alone; God will not leave me

Romans 5:1

I am justified

Romans 8:1

I am free from condemnation

2 Corinthians 1:21-22

I am established, anointed, sealed by God

Philippians 1:6

I am confident that God will complete a good work in me

John 4:24

I am a truth worshiper

2 Corinthians 5:17

I am a new creation!

Mark 16:17-18

I have the ability to perform miracles

Ephesians 3:12

I have the ability to approach God with freedom and confidence

Ephesians 1:11-12

I am blessed, chosen, adopted, accepted, redeemed, and forgiven

Colossians 1:13

I am delivered from dark powers

Hebrews 13:6

I am safe

1 Peter 5:10

I am strong

Song of Solomon 4:10

I am beautiful

1 Peter 2:24

I am healed

What other identity promises can we claim?

“I believe in Christ, like I believe in the sun- Not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else.” -CS Lewis

As a little exercise, look up these verses and take some quiet time to pray and ask God what He wants to reveal to you about yourself. Write down 10 or so things that He loves about you. Then do the same with the ways He would use to describe you. You will be surprised at what He tells you compared to how you actually feel.

This week, I sent a video out to the members of my business (I own a fitness club) and told them they just had to watch it. While I'm normally against any sort of forward or stupid youtube video, I felt pretty overwhelmed with the emotion of this one. So while this has nothing to do with our identity in Christ, it makes a very valid point about perspective and how often, the way we see ourselves is not our true identity:

Dove Real Beauty Sketches

more on this later...

Trust.

There's a tall ladder. At the top of it is your destination; the deepest desire of your heart. But where are we on that ladder? How long until you get to the top of it? What happens when God seems to be illuminating only the next couple of rungs?

Psalm 37 has been coming to mind all week, and then Pastor Jamey went ahead and did a mini sermon on it this morning! I love how God will confirm the direction He gives us.

Psalm 37:3-9
Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath, do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

The message is clear. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Just as He has provided for us thus far in life, and gives us encouragement through fellowship with other Christians, we should be releasing control, listening for His voice to give direction, and then walk in confidence in the direction He gave.

You know what Christian circles say about asking God for patience? Jokingly we're always reminded NOT to do that! Why? Because God will give us circumstances that will test our patience. He is really good at never giving up on us by always giving us situations that will test our trust in Him. Even when we fail, His grace and mercy remains. He picks us back up and provides another chance. We will never reach full potential on this side of Heaven, so this message is true in all seasons of life.

This is all easier said than done, I know, but it doesn't matter if we can't see past what is in front of us. God said the fulfillment of promise will come to those who trust in Him and wait patiently.

We release control and give Him our trust.

Life is an Adventure

I'm in love with places I've never been and people I've never met. 

I went on a business trip last week to train the new owner of a club. My friend Kevin (check out his blog here) gave me this encouragement before I left on my trip: "Remember Who you represent and look for opportunities to be blessed by sharing His love with those you meet ." 

I met an old man staring at the moon. 

With binoculars in hand, he was staring at the moon like it was his long lost love. I smiled as I stood next to him and looked at the crescent moon, trying so hard to see what he was seeing. Without talking, he handed me his binoculars. I took a peek. They must have been strong binoculars because you could see everything. Even though most of the moon was dark, you could still make out the craters and shadows. He whispered "beautiful, isn't it?" and I agreed. He took his binoculars and I wished him a good night as he simply smiled and walked away. 

As I was driving home the next day, I was thinking about it: "Look for opportunities to be blessed by sharing His love." God uses our experiences with the people around us to bring US as much joy as we bring them hope. As we are obedient and walk in His direction, He puts situations that we can both minister to another, but that also will minister to us. God doesn't ask us to tirelessly work for Him. He loves us; He wants to bring us joy. As I thought about my friend in the parking lot of the hotel, I prayed that God would bless him and meet him wherever he was that day. However far away from home he was, that he would find himself not alone.

Life is an adventure, it is never the same two days in a row. There are always new and different circumstances and the people you meet can bring you either closer to God or pull you further away. I want to be the kind of person, even if it's just planting a seed of kindness, to draw people closer to God.

I'm in love with places I've never been and people I've never met. When I do go there and meet them, I am blessed.