This morning I am continuing my reflection on our true identity, and one thing that continues to resonate in my heart is that it is all based around relationship, and specifically relationship with our heavenly Father. Yesterday I looked at the story of the Prodigal son, which reveals much of the Father's heart, and it focused on restoring one's identity, and it was all anchored in relationship with the Father.
I know I have written in the past of the Father's desire for relationship, and that seems to be the foundation for everything! The Father desires relationship with you and me, individually! Our truest identity is found in this core, eternal relationship. If we look at just a few passages in scripture that illustrate His love for us, we can quickly appreciate the eternal nature of His Love.
God loved us before the creation of the world!
Ephesians 1:3-6 NIV:
[3] "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. [4] For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love [5] he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--- [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."
God created us!
Psalm 139:13-16 NIV:
[13] "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. [14] I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. [15] My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. [16] Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
God created us with purpose!
Ephesians 2:10 NIV:
[10] "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
God Loved us so much that He sent Jesus!
John 3:16-17 NIV:
[16] "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
God sees us as His sons and daughters!
2 Corinthians 6:18 NIV:
[18] "And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
God wants us to see ourselves as His sons and daughters!
Romans 8:14-17 NIV
[14] "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. [15] The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” [16] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. [17] Now if we are children, then we are heirs---heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
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Galatians 4:6 NIV:
[6] "Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba , Father.”
God's love for us cannot be defeated!
Romans 8:38-39 NIV:
[38] "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, [39] neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
God plans to give us eternal life in relationship with Him (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
John 6:40 NIV:
[40] "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
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1 John 5:11 NIV:
[11] "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."
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1 John 4:13-15 NIV:
[13] "This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. [14] And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. [15] If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God."
All these verses point to the love the Father has for us, the fact that He created us, has a purpose for us, desires relationship with us as His sons and daughters, and ultimately plans to live eternity in relationship with us! If this is the truth, if this our eternal reward, from before the world was created, to after the world ends, relationship with God, then God's love for us and desire for relationship is the foundation of everything else! If we dig down far enough on any truth, the bedrock we hit will always be God's love for us, and His desire for relationship. It is in context with this Rock that we find our true identity. He is the Rock, and we stand on Him and take our identity from Him!
I am reminded of an encouragement Jesus gave us in Matthew 7:24-25 NIV: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. [25] The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."
Let Your true identity rest upon the Rock! If we build our house (our identity) on Him, upon His love, upon this revelation than we will stand regardless of the attacks and trials we encounter.
Amen!
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