True Identity

True Identity

Ephesians 3: ¹⁴ For this reason I fall on my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its true name. 

 

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As I was walking down the hall someone shouted a negative label at me. My youthful response was to get a large friend and threaten a fight. The label was not who I was so it enraged me.

 

• I reacted to a false label.
• I wasted time and energy over something that was not true.
• I was not ready to take the high road so I stooped down to fight.

 

Paul uncovers something interesting. He says each person has a “true name” which implies the family name I have is false. HE was revealed that GOD provides purpose through a name.

 

My Observations

• My true identity will be revealed to me when I am with the FATHER.
• I will one day understand my true purpose in union with CHRIST.
• Knowing I have a true name gives me hope.

 

People want to be GOD so we label each other in ways to make others feel inferior. BUT GOD is supreme and is the only one who holds the true label of HIS creation. HE made each person carefully and with a special purpose. Unfortunately, there is an adversary who lies and confuses people to seek a worldly identity.

 

People are separated and lied to so JESUS becomes a problem rather than the only solution. Political thieves try to hijack the name of JESUS but fail miserably because GOD knows HIS true flock. I am glad GOD holds my identity and has adopted me into HIS glorious family.

 

Challenge

• Why does the writer appeal to identity when entering into prayer?
• Have you ever been called a false label or possibly mislabeled yourself?
• Will you stop seeking validation from the world and know you are loved fully by GOD who holds your true purpose and identity in CHRIST who is our Savior today?

Mislabeled

Mislabeled

2 Corinthians 12: ¹⁶ You will agree, then, that I was not a burden to you. But someone will say that I was tricky, and trapped you with lies. ¹⁷ How? Did I take advantage of you through any of the messengers I sent? ¹⁸ I begged Titus to go, and I sent the other believer with him. Would you say that Titus took advantage of you? Do not he and I act from the very same motives and behave in the same way?

 

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After working extremely hard I overheard someone say that I was not a “hard worker” as that guy over there. This statement was very confusing. I had done similar quantities of work with the same quality. This angered me so I spent my time trying to prove them wrong!

 

• I felt I was mislabeled.
• I wanted to get rid of the label because I was now insecure.
• I thought I had something to prove or needed to act different even though I was doing what I was supposed to do.

 

Paul addressed divisiveness. Some people saw the obvious servanthood he brought, while others labeled him a liar. This angered Paul and he had to address the murmurs of those who wanted to say he took advantage of the people.

 

My Observations

• GOD says to me “You will be hated by all for MY name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”
• GOD says to me “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for MY sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
• GOD says to me “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

 

Following what GOD says is not easy. I mean, HIS message of true love is met with opposition at every turn. JESUS died for all humans. All we have to do is believe that we need a Savior. Sounds simple. But this simple message is twisted by people who want financial gain or power.

 

They steal the message in hopes to gain power or influence. Mentioning JESUS name is sacred and is to be used to invoke a display of a relationship of surrender. Those who choose to not believe in HIS power may mention HIS name in vain and maybe even use persecuting labels to get their way. I am grateful JESUS makes me secure and allows me to abide in HIM.

 

Challenge

• Do you sense the hurt and disappointment from the writer?
• Have you ever been mislabeled, devalued or brushed off?
• If you are living for CHRIST, do you expect to be persecuted by those who are not living for HIM?
• Will you persevere through the mislabels and allow GOD to draw who HE pleases to HIM in HIS way and HIS timing? 

Known For

Luke 23: ²⁶ As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.

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Rounding first base I advanced to second base. But on my way I tripped and skinned my knee, tearing a hole in my pants. It was kick-baseball so I made it to the base but the pants exposed a bleeding scraped leg. After gym class it was time for our homeroom to go and take pictures. I was chosen to sit in the front row. My bloody knee was immortalized on film forever.

• There are some things I did not want to be known for.
• There are memories that I did not want to keep remembering.
• There are some moments that I wish I wasn’t labeled with.

Simon from Cyrene happened to be at the wrong place at the right time, or was it wrong? He became famous for helping carry JESUS’s cross. While the guards were trying to bully the people, they did not know this simple act would forever label Simon as a helper of JESUS.

• GOD gives me small things to do so HE can be excited forever.
• GOD enables me to serve so HE will give me rewards in heaven.
• GOD wants my focus on HIM so “my” legacy will point towards HIM.

“What will you be known for?” was a question posed to me. After thinking for a while I could not think of anything I cared about that I wanted people talking about after my death. BUT GOD intervened and said “How about ME?” Then it hit me.

Perhaps if I pointed my life to GOD then people would talk about HIM rather than trying to remember me. Bringing people to truly serve GOD is what I want to be known for so GOD will be excited.

• Are you trying to be known?
• Are you seeking fame?
• Will you point your life to GOD and allow HIM to draw people to HIM through you?

Loser

Mark 14: ¹⁰ Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. ¹¹ And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

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As the newness of this potential boss wore off, I could see some flaws in his leadership style. Instead of helping, I put some “distance” away from his projects. I asked another leader in the department, “Can I work for you?”

• Sometimes I want to bail on a person who is not acting the way I want them to.
• Sometimes I want to leave the person I think is acting opposite of my beliefs.
• Sometimes I want to escape from the person I categorize as a “Loser.”

Judas decided to switch sides. As the political landscape was rapidly changing, Judas may have seen his fame, wealth and glory slipping away. “What a loser” Judas may have thought about JESUS. Since he had the inside track on JESUS, he figured he could simply have JESUS jailed and get some money. What harm could this do?

• GOD says to me “If you call your brother a worthless fool you will be in danger of going to the fire of hell.”
• GOD says to me “Put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth.”
• GOD says to me “Have compassion.”

Impatient labeling is a dangerous practice. GOD wants me to remove my negative labels of people and see them as HE sees them… forgiven. HE wants me to stop judging people and to turn to HIS graceful ways. This is not always easy but it is a practice GOD is pleased with.

• Are you labeling someone?
• Do you place nothing but negative labels on others?
• Can you stop labeling people and start encouraging them to have a wonderful relationship with the LORD?

Label Belief

Matthew 16: ¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

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“Mud” was the name of the person I was mad at. They could do no right in my eyes and I could not believe in anything they said. “Smart” was the name I gave a rising star and I listened to every word out of their mouths.

• There have been times I labeled people.
• There have been times I have given a person a name.
• There have been times I put someone in a category and treated them in that fashion.

How I perceived people was how I treated them. If I perceived them to be “higher” than me then I treated them with one level of respect, the opposite went for those I felt were “beneath” me. In my labeling practice I soon labeled GOD based on my lack of faith. HE wasn’t “GOD” to me rather “god” just like everything else.

• JESUS deserves the highest label I can give HIM.
• JESUS deserves to be called what HE is, namely GOD almighty.
• JESUS deserves my trust, faith and obedience due to HIS supremacy over all.

Treating JESUS as common was my problem. Yes HE is a brother and a friend but HE is GOD. HE tells me to stop labeling people HE made and get them to focus on HIM who can raise them from the dead. The higher the label I can place on JESUS the stronger my belief will be in HIM.

• What do you call GOD?
• Is your lack of faith blocking you from placing HIM above everything in your life?
• Can you stop labeling those around you and give them over to GOD today?

Label Me in Need of Mercy

Matthew 9: ⁹ As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

¹⁰ While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹² On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

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“Those people are bad” I said. I mean look at “them!” “They” are doing [insert sin]. I better tell “them” about “themselves” so “they” will stop sinning!

• GOD said to me “Your righteousness is like a filthy rag.”
• GOD said to me “Your righteousness is like dung to ME.”
• GOD said to me “Your righteousness is a barrier to people accepting ME as their Savior.”

Pimp, hooker, gay, gambler, druggy and racist were convenient labels I placed on “those” people, meanwhile I forgot to say what I was, namely a lust-filled, greedy, power hungry blamer. I had stopped doing several sins only to pick up socially acceptable sins with honored labels.

People would label me as “One of us” or “Wealth Minded” or “Ambitious” or better yet “Calls ‘em as he sees ‘em.” BUT GOD wants me to have different labels.

• GOD wants me to label myself as a “sinner” who needs HIS mercy.
• GOD wants me to label myself as a “dead soul” in need of resurrection from HIM and HIM alone.
• GOD wants me to label myself as a “forgiven being” because I believe that HE (JESUS), died for me on purpose and now lives as my Savior.

“Our” FATHER and give “Us” this day “Our” daily bread show me how GOD wants me to think. HE doesn’t want me to label “those” people rather HE wants me to include myself in “that” crowd.

Drawing people back to GOD means I need to be transparent about my sins, not my accomplishments. GOD doesn't need another perfect sacrifice; JESUS was already the chosen one. HE needs a “sinner” to say “Isn’t GOD wonderful? I did all of this and HE forgave me for ALL of it!”

HE wants me to show what a changed life can be like by demonstrating hope in HIM no matter what the storm brings.

• Are you labeling people?
• Do you think “that” person is bad and you are “good?”
• Can you stop labeling people for a minute and label yourself before GOD?
• Will you ask HIM for HIS forgiveness today?

Greatness out of Small Places

Micah 5: ² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

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⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

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Eloquent was his speech and solid was his direction. I watched this person rise from nothing to become the CEO of one of the largest companies in the world. I asked him where he lived when he grew up. Surprisingly he answered “the projects” or “slums” or “ghetto” to others. I thought to myself, “Someone this fantastic can come out of a place that is looked down upon by the masses?”

• Sometimes I underestimate the people in small places.
• Sometimes I overlook the people in places that are categorized as off limits.
• Sometimes I protect myself by labeling places and people instead of searching for bright spots.

When I went to serve in a neighborhood that was classified as dangerous, I found people who had aspirations of becoming a doctor, lawyer, and famous musician. These individuals had something in common, they all followed GOD.

• JESUS chose to become a human in a town that was overlooked.
• JESUS chose to be born in a place where people would classify it as a slum or a ghetto.
• JESUS chose to provide HIS redemption through a small place called Bethlehem.

GOD told me to teach these people about HIM and as they sat in my class I could see them grasping onto HIS message in their own way. They were hungry for the LORD and HE did enable them to become what they sought out to be! GOD raised them to their place and they have not forgotten HIM. I learned a lesson, never label a place or person that GOD has a plan for, including myself!

• Are you labeling people in order to protect yourself?
• Have you labeled people so much that you refuse to serve them?
• Will you remove your label and serve people who do not look or act like you?
• Can you realize that you may serve a person who will be used by GOD to bring millions to HIM?

Hated and Appalled

Isaiah 52: ¹³ See, my servant will act wisely;
    he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
¹⁴ Just as there were many who were appalled at him—
    his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
    and his form marred beyond human likeness—
¹⁵ so he will sprinkle many nations,
    and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
    and what they have not heard, they will understand.

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“Hey ” the crowd called out in a mocking fashion. “Not so powerful now are you?” they jeered. One person spit, then the next. Soon the crowd got comfortable and because everyone else was focused on this one person, they joined in. No spotlight on anyone in the mob, rather the beacon shined directly on one poor soul.

• It is easy to join in the crowd.
• It is easy to be part of the mob.
• It is easy to say what is wrong and become part of the problem rather than being part of the solution.

Mobs look for what is wrong and try to rally people to their cause. Labels are quickly put in place that everyone around agrees with and suddenly the mob can do what they want to do because “everyone else” is doing it. This is unfortunate for the mob.

• JESUS was appalled by HIS own creation.
• JESUS was beaten to the point of disfiguration.
• JESUS was marred beyond human likeness.

Which side of the mob would I have been on? Would I spit on JESUS or would I risk my life and step into help HIM. This test happens daily. The hard choice to follow GOD is placed in front of me on a daily basis. Will I hide my relationship with JESUS in order to get ahead? Will I slander “that” person in order to look right in everyone else’s eyes? Will I go against GOD’s word and sin anyway?

GOD has done far more that I can imagine for me. HE went out on a limb to save me and has faced far more than I have ever faced. HIS ridicule and defacement won’t last though. HE acted wisely and took on every human’s sins, even mine. HE is now raised and lifted up. HE IS highly exalted!

• Are you part of the mob?
• Do you try to rally people to “your” cause rather than spreading GOD’s word?
• Can you stop slandering and start spreading the GOOD NEWS?
• Will you recognize what JESUS has done for you today?

What are people saying about me?

Philemon 1: ⁴ I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, ⁵ because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus.

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As I stood back I observed guys who seemed to have crowds around them all the time. They always had something humorous to say so I started on the path of making people laugh. I did a marvelous job, maybe too marvelous for I was now deemed the “campus clown.”  Hey, that’s not what I was shooting for!

• When I act mean word gets around.
• When I act like a cheat word gets around.
• When I act like a scoundrel word gets around.

People are looking at me daily whether I like it or not. Unfortunately people label others as defense mechanisms. What kind of label does GOD want me to portray?

• GOD wants me to be graceful to many so HIS reputation can get around.
• GOD wants me to be truthful with people so HIS word will convict all.
• GOD wants me to be loving to people especially those who are difficult to love.

GOD’s reputation can never be tarnished. HE is supreme and has given up a lot just for HIS creation. HE desires that I act like HIM showing compassion, grace, love and mercy. HE is the only judge so HE will handle the punishment of those who disobey HIM. HE wants me to point people to HIS grace and the gift of HIS SON.

• What are people saying about you?
• Are you labeled as a scoundrel or compassionate for GOD?
• Do you mutter poisonous words or are your words full of grace and mercy?
• Is your life an example for GOD?