Who You Are
So…who are you?
In response to that question, I might reply, “Dave DeSelm.” But that’s only my name.
I could add, “I’m the husband of one, the father of three, and the grandfather of seven.” But that’s merely my relationships.
I might add, “Well, I’m a pastor. In fact, for 34 years, I was the senior pastor of Fellowship Missionary Church.” But that was simply my job.
Perhaps the best way to answer that question is to look to what an authoritative source has to say:
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
I John 3:1
The challenge, at least it has been for me, is to take this beyond a theological truth and make it a practical reality. As one who ever fought to measure up and always sought to prove myself, defining myself in terms of who I am rather than what I do has been hard for me.
Perhaps you struggle with that as well.
Who’s Telling You Who You Are?
Pastor/author Paul David Tripp offers these insightful thoughts regarding identity:
“No one is more influential in your life than you are, because no one talks to you more than you do. Whether you realize it or not, you are in an unending conversation with yourself, and the things you say to you about you are formative in the way you live.
Whether you realize it or not, you are in an unending conversation with yourself, and the things you say to you about you are formative in the way you live. – Paul David Tripp
“Smack-dab in the middle of your internal conversation is what you tell yourself about your identity. Human beings are always assigning themselves to some kind of identity. There are only two places to look. Either you will be getting your identity vertically, from who you are in Christ, or you will be shopping for it horizontally in the situations, experiences, and relationships of your daily life.
“This is true of everyone, but I am convinced that getting one’s identity horizontally is a particular temptation for those who are in ministry.”
Either you will be getting your identity vertically, from who you are in Christ, or you will be shopping for it horizontally in the situations, experiences, and relationships of your daily life. – Paul David Tripp
Son or Servant?
I can certainly relate to this. One of the great challenges I faced over the years was how ministry always threatened to become my identity. All too often I didn’t see myself as a son of God…I thought of myself as a servant of God.
The office of pastor was more than a calling. “Pastor” defined me.
Yes, I knew God was my Father and that I was his child, but at street level things looked different. My faith had become my professional calling. It had become my job.
My identity as pastor colored the way I understood myself. It shaped the way I related to God. It informed my relationships with the people in my life.
That’s the sort of thing that happens when the voice you listen to regarding who you are is your own. Or even worse…it’s the enemy who constantly lies to us about who we are.
So, let me encourage you to tune your ear to another voice. It’s the voice of your Father. And the things He has to say about you are good news! They are life!
What God says
Here are just a few of the things He says are true about you, His child:
I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child. (Eph. 1:3-8)
I have been bought with a price and belong to God. (I Cor. 6:19-20)
I have been redeemed and forgiven for all my sins. (Col. 1:13-14)
I have been justified. (Rom. 5:1)
I am complete in Christ. (Col. 2:9-10)
I am God’s workmanship. (Eph. 2:10)
I am a friend of Jesus. (Jn. 15:15)
I am free from condemnation. (Rom. 8:1)
I cannot be separated from the love of God. (Rom. 8:38)
I am a citizen of heaven. (Phil. 3:20)
I am not something because I am in ministry (Can I say this more powerfully?)
I am something because I am in Christ.
I am not something because I am in ministry. I am something because I am in Christ.
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