Our Identity in Christ

Excerpts from Completely His by Shannon Ethridge

“Sociologists have a theory of the looking-glass self: you become what the most important person in your life (wife, father, boss, etc.) thinks you are. How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible’s astounding words about God’s love for me, if I looked in the mirror and saw what God sees?” – Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace?

Does a woman who knows she is deeply loved by God consistently walk around moping, stressed, depressed, and complaining about life? Not if the love of God has entered her heart and penetrated her soul. We can’t let our circumstances continually rob us of personally experiencing and expressing the love of God.

So what do you believe about yourself? Better yet, how do those beliefs line up with what the Bible says about you? In His Word, God declares that you are
•Christ’s intimate friend (John 15:15)
•The Lord’s chosen ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20)
•God’s trusted partner (2 Corinthians 6:1)
•The pure bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2)
•An Eternal citizen of Heaven (Philippians 3:20)

You may not feel as if you are living up to this description just yet, but your Creator designed you with these purposes in mind, and Christ died to give you authority to live our these roles with confidence.

We must make the connection between how we see ourselves and how we will approach life. If we see ourselves as bad, insignificant, inferior, or targets of God’s wrath, we will never feel as if we can trust God to equip us, bless us, or use us. But if we see ourselves as the chosen bride of Christ, we will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we can approach our Bridegroom with confidence and that He will give us all we need to do whatever He wants us to do (see Philippians 4:19).

When you sense God asking you to do something or talk to someone, remember who you are. You are not an abandoned orphan, but God’s own cherished child whom He loves without measure. Whatever He calls you to do, He will lovingly provide the resources for you to be successful.

I can’t stress enough that how we see ourselves in relation to God has everything to do with our spiritual growth and effectiveness. We must learn to see ourselves as His beloved bride in order to identify with the purpose for which we were created – to be in relationship with and in service to our Heavenly Bridegroom.

You are His beloved. Declare this of yourself and lived loved! :)

You are loved!
<3 Shannon

Song: “Found” – Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBtx0GAASe0&feature=related