Word for Today, Thu, 19 Dec 2002: Our Identity
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Are you prepared to receive His coming? Who? Jesus Christ, of
course. We've been discussing for a while now many different
angles and approaches about this Advent Season, preparing our
hearts to receive the coming King. We celebrate this time of
year to remember the birth of Christ, but it's really more like a
deeper renewal of our relationship with Him, remembering all that
Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, has done for us.
So with that in mind, let's consider what Neil Anderson has to
say about our identity. As one whom God deeply loves, do you
know and understand your identity? That's what today's message
is all about.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
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N E I L A N D E R S O N D A I L Y D E V O T I O N A L
from Freedom in Christ Ministries
December 19
A MATTER OF BEING SOMEONE
If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things
passed away; behold, new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Being a Christian is not just a matter of getting something; it's
a matter of being someone. A Christian is not simply a person who
gets forgiveness, who gets to go to heaven, who gets the Holy
Spirit, who gets a new nature. A Christian, in terms of our
deepest identity, is a saint, a spiritually born child of God, a
divine masterpiece, a child of light, a citizen of heaven. Being
born again transformed you into someone who didn't exist before.
What you receive as a Christian isn't the point; it's who you
are. It's not what you do as a Christian that determines who you
are; it's who you are that determines what you do (2 Corinthians
5:17; Ephesians 2:10; 1 Peter 2:9, 10; 1 John 3:1, 2).
Understanding your identity in Christ is absolutely essential to
your success at living the Christian life. No person can
consistently behave in a way that's inconsistent with the way he
perceives himself. If you think you're a no-good bum, you'll
probably live like a no-good bum. But if you see yourself as a
child of God who is spiritually alive in Christ, you'll begin to
live in victory and freedom as He lived. Next to a knowledge of
God, a knowledge of who you are is by far the most important
truth you can possess.
After years of working with people who are in deep spiritual
conflict, I found one common denominator: None of them knew who
they were in Christ. None knew of their spiritual heritage. All
questioned their salvation and the love of God. Are you aware
that there is someone alive and active in the world today who is
dead set against you seeing yourself as spiritually alive and
complete in Christ? Satan can do nothing to damage your position
in Christ. But if he can deceive you into believing his lie--that
you are not acceptable to God and that you'll never amount to
anything as a Christian--then you will live as if you have no
position or identity in Christ.
Heavenly Father, I take my stand as a child of God in Christ.
Thank You for giving me this gracious and unwarranted position.
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This daily devotional is published and distributed by
Crosswalk.com. It is written by Neil Anderson at
link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.14.9441.1.293748.
Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com:
link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.14.9441.2.293748.
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Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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