|
Even If You Don't Believe in Me
May 22, 2020
|
|
|
I took quite a trek before I arrived at purposeful living. In those years, I was forced to take a hard look at myself. I spent time in prayer, bible study, and read a gazillion personal development books. Finally, after many years of learning from the life of Jesus, I have come to know who I am, accept who I am, and love who I am. This process is outlined in my book, Stay In Your Lane.
Knowing exactly who you are gives you more self-confidence. That self-confidence helps to eliminate doubt and fear. Having a strong sense of identity is imperative to living in the power and freedom of Christianity. There is no better place to look for a stellar example of self- awareness and esteem than Jesus.
This week our focus is John 8, starting at verse 12, when Jesus told the Pharisees that he was the light of the world and they didn't believe him. If there are people in your life that refuse to accept who you are; if you have family members that want to keep you in a box— learn from Jesus.
|
|
|
|
|
Jesus said, "These claims are valid even though I make them about myself. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don't know this about me." - John 8:14 NLT
|
|
|
|
Dear Lord, Heavenly Father. Give us wisdom to know where we came from and where we are going. Help us Holy Spirit to know who we are and believe it. Amen!
|
|
|
|
|
If you don't know who you are the world will tell you. I can find many false depictions of women, of Black people, of Christians, of people from Appalachia, of people who live in the Northeast, and so on. If I was unsure of my identity, I might embrace any of the caricatures often placed on these groups. I'd live my life in response to what others say and think. Instead, I follow the example of Jesus and I've been set free. As John 8:36 declares, I'm "free indeed."
So what did I learn from Jesus during this confrontation with the Pharisees?
Know Who You Are
In Verse 12 Jesus proclaims, "I am the light of the world." He didn't say I think or I'm trying to be. He said I AM. It's imperative that you are honest and certain about who you are. There are scriptures that tell us about who we are as humans. One of my favorites, Psalms 8:5, says that we're crowned with glory and honor. All of us. In addition to knowing how special we all are as God's creation, we also need to understand who God specifically created us to be. Jesus knew exactly who he was and could articulate it. Can you answer this question in two sentences....who are you?
Agree with God
The Pharisees had a law that said if two or more people agreed on something it was true. In verse 18 Jesus says that he is telling the truth about his identity and there are two witnesses: Him and God. When God created you, he didn't ask for anyone's permission or help. The best place to find out who you are is to go to your Creator. Pray, ask God to give you insight into who you are. Read your Bible and see if there is anyone you identify with strongly. I bonded with Esther as a young woman and I try to use Abigail's wisdom in my marriage, even today. When I was working in corporate— Jael and the Proverbs 31 woman. As a mother, Rizpah. You can also take a spiritual gifts test to help you discover your identity from God.
People May Not Understand You
I spend nearly forty years of my life trying to help people understand who I am. Some of the closest people to me got it wrong over and over again. It was frustrating and hurtful. Then I asked myself WDJD— What did Jesus Do? Jesus was misunderstood by the religious leaders, by his brothers, even by his followers who thought he was a Messiah coming to battle Rome. Take your time and read John 8:12-59. Jesus' frustration was evident and well documented. But guess what? He didn't back off from who he was. He continued agreeing with God and doing the things he was created to do. Your friends and family may never accept that you are who you are.
I pray that God strengthen you to be true to the identity he has given you— even when it's hard or people oppose you.
The Devil Uses People
The Pharisees had no idea that they were being used by the devil. Their envy and hatred of Jesus came only from Satan who opposes God. "For you are the children of your father, the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does." (v.44) When you are trying to live for God and by the standards of the Bible, people will criticize you and oppose you. You cannot let that stop you from being a loving Christian. Those people believe that they are "good" people because they do not know God enough to know that they aren't. The Pharisees sincerely believed that Jesus was offending God. They had it wrong. In his last moments he prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
God Will Always Protect You
After Jesus had this terrible encounter with his enemies "they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple." (v.59) The people weren't throwing stones because they didn't understand what Jesus was saying. They threw stones because they did understand Jesus' claim that he was the Messiah and they didn't like it.
You can trust God to protect you from the people who throw stones because of who you are— who God created you to be.
This week on the Shine TYC blog I offered 5 tools for discovering your identity: prayer, Bible study, reflect on your past, explore your values, define your goals. I've included some things below to help you.
Know who you are and believe it! God created you for a specific purpose. When you find it, you'll have peace that endures all of life's challenges. Having a strong sense of identity and purpose doesn't make your life perfect, but it does make it a lot easier to live.
Stay Safe. Wash Your Hands. Read Your Bible.
|
|
|
As an Amazon Associate Shine TYC earns from qualifying purchases.
|
|
|
Know Who You Are and Believe It!
Identity Exploration is imperative to living on purpose. This course model is the foundation for our Beyond the Board visioning course. It is such a popular module and so very important that we now offer it as a stand alone course.
|
|
|
|
|
